• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.58
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• pp.5-29
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• 2018

This article analyses 10 years of the operation condition of the National Archives and Records Management Committee since its constitution. The object is to provide basic data for its evaluation. The Committee deliberated specific issues defined by records management act. The issues and the reports were concentrated on the task of the National Archives. As a consequence, the Committee could not play a role as a governance organization but as merely a consultative body of the National Archives.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.18
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• pp.281-315
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• 2008

This paper reviews recent records issues surrounding former president Roh Moo-Hyun's private possession of the copies of the presidential records in Korea. While the former president transferred his records to the National Archives of Korea, he copied his electronic presidential records and kept them in his house after the term. His retention of the "records copies" arouse critical records issues and criminal charges. In this paper, I examined the definition of presidential records and legal status of records copies, authenticity of electronic copies of public records in public and private records systems, nature and scope of presidential privilege of access to his records, and most importantly, political neutrality of national archives. I examined these issues comparing with foreign experience, especially that of the United States which has the Presidential Records Act like Korea. All issues are examined in the professional spirit of archives principles and archives ethics. Legal status of the electronic copies of presidential records is not firmly established and the criminal charge seems groundless. However, it is against public archives principles and ethics that private former president privately possesses and manages private information and national security information held in the electronic copies of the presidential records. Presidential Records Act of Korea provides an effective tool to protect the presidential records for 15 years and it should be respected. It is time to consolidate the public records management institutions in Korea, not to disintegrate them.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.33
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• pp.113-153
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• 2012

Since the government of Republic of Korea was established in 1948, a period that made the biggest difference on National Records Management System was from 1999 when was enacted. Especially, it was the period of President Roh's five-year tenure called Participation Government (2003-2008). This paper illustrates distinct phenomena of Records Management System Policy during Participation Government. Three major agents of the system are President Roh, the Presidential Secretariat, and Archives Management Bureau at the National Archives of Korea. They sometimes competed with themselves for initiatives of policy, but they used to cooperate with each other and have brought about innovations on records management. The first distinctive characteristic of Participation Government (below PG)'s records management is that it implemented governance actively. That is, it tried to listen carefully to all opinions of interest organizations related to records management and enacted laws based on those. The PG not only listened to civic groups, but also created two professional groups called Records Management Innovation Expert Committee and Innovation Decentralization Assessment Committee. Those two groups enacted . Another remarkable feature is a nomination of records management specialists at public institutions. In 2005, PG created Archival Research Positions among research public officials and appointed experts in the field of Archival Research History at central department. With the process, the government tried to provide public records management system and to improve specialty of records management. Since then, records management specialists were employed not only at local governments but also at private archival institutions. It has allowed of entering a new phase in employing records management professionals. The Participation Government also legislated (completely revised) . It led to a beginning of developing records management in Republic of Korea. was revised thoroughly for the e-Government period and was established as a foundation for managing presidential records. An establishing process of a country's records management system describes the degree of democratic development of society. Following governments should supplement PG's shortcomings and carry out 'New Governance Records Management System'. Principal subjects of records management system should include not only a government but also civic groups, local governments, small businesses, and academic professionals. The object of records management also needs to be democratic by recording not only the plans and enforcements of a task but also influences and results of a task. The way of archiving ought to be discussed by all related principals.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.41
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• pp.39-73
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• 2014

This study aims to analyze the features and problems of the Korea's national records archiving system established in 1999, as well as to suggest the countermeasures. First, in Korea, permanent records are archived by the administration, legislature and judicature separately. However, around the world there are very few cases where a national archives controls the records of the administration alone, whereupon there is the need to set up an integrated archiving system regarding the records of the administration, legislature and judicature. Second, in Korea, the records archiving system leans too much towards the centrally-controlled system, which is urgent to be solved. 'Record Management Act' stipulates that all the public records, including nonpermanent ones, shall be managed by National Archives, wherewith National Archives is overburdened. Hereat, it may be desirable for National Archives to manage very important records that deserve to be archived permanently and for Record Center to archive other records, which needs to be made into law.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.52
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• pp.39-58
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• 2017

It is the responsibility of the government organization in the field of history and archives to control preproduction of records and their production sphere. Moreover, it should also manage all kinds of archives and presidential records as its function is to manage and share public information, and carry out compilations of historical records. With this, this study explains how having all these functions would make the ideal reorganization of the government. It should correspond to principle of Government's reorganization such as transparency, responsibility, communication. A plan for reformation needs two-track approach. I would like to propose the establishment of the 'Ministry of National Archives' or the 'National Memory Committee' at the organization that is in charge of national records and memory management. It means that the National memory isn't limited to public sphere. In terms of Total archives, the organizations should contain the whole community's memory. This organization should be formed independently.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.14
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• pp.389-394
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• 2006

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.40
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• pp.3-27
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• 2014

The purpose of the enactment of the 'Law on the National Archives of Korea' should be to secure the accountability and to shape up the improved governance system in the field of records and archival management, which will contribute to the strengthening of democracy in records management and eventually to the widening of the democratic progress in Korea. On the basis of the above recognition and by way of notion called 'horizontal accountability', this paper suggests the way to secure the National Archives of Korea's independency. And the way to reorganize the National Records Management Committee based on the pluralism and the 'multi-layered' governance system is also investigated. One of the main directions in the suggested law should be for the autonomy and transparency in the operation of the National Archives of Korea. This paper tries drawbacks and limitations of the 'Bill on the National Archives of Korea' introduced to the National Assembly last year, and suggests the alternatives as wel lto get further forward with related discussion.

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.39-60
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• 2008

This paper deals with the four aspects of the acquisition, construction and common use of modern and post-modern document DB in the NAK, NIKH, and AKS. First, The concept of Korean regional history includes provincial history, local history and regional history and as far as modern and post-modern history is concerned, the concept of regional history is on expansion. Second, National Archives of Korea has been systematically collecting and managing modern and post-modern regional history records in compliance to Public Institutes Records Management Law, enacted in 1999 and currently is in charge of handling public records of 373 central government administration offices, 514 regional government offices, Office of Education, universities and of other public agencies. National Institute of Korean History is working on a ten year project from 2004 to collect the scattered modern and post-modern regional history records and to classify them regionally and thematically. The Academy of Korean Studies has been collecting modern and post-modern regional history records and collection was initiated by Modern History Research. Those records that are collected from 1997 and 2005 are mainly from the liberation period. Third, characteristics of Central Archives Management System and Nara Records Portal System of NAK, Korean History Database System of NIKH and of The AKS' Korean Provincial Culture Electronic Encyclopedia are elaborated. Fourth, establishing 'Modern and Post-modern Regional History Records Council' as an affiliated organization of National Archives Management Committee is recommended, NAK leading the council and promoting further cooperation. In this section, an emphasis on allotted tasks of three institutes in order to achieve technology development for digitalized resource sharing, to improve on contents and to promote public and international use is placed as well.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.13
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• pp.3-40
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• 2006

The archives and records management 'reform' has spreaded out through the third quarter of 2004. There are many evidences such as the change of the Office of the President's management on the record production, 'the reforming road map for the final draft on the archives and records management.' This method spreads into the Cabinets. So it is improved these rosy conditions was upgraded by the laws and regulations. We also hope that the conditions of the records management to be a higher level than before. However the actual conditions of the records management are not good comparing with the law and regulations. I think this unbalance is a serious problem. The reason of the 'failed history' during past time was caused not by the laws itself but by the indifference and negligence on the laws. The academic field and NGO have continuously required some essential suggestions on that problem; political neutrality and independent of the National Archives, the employment of specialists and the improvement of their skills etc. But these requirements have not accepted yet. This revised records management law also has not applied to the road map wholly. Even though the outward growth during that time is remarkable, we need to learn some instructions by way of the 'failed history'. Therefore our urgent task is to narrow the gap between the new system and the actual conditions based on long and short term projects.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.18
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• pp.257-280
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• 2008

The purpose of this paper is reviewing the hot issue called 'draining away the presidential records' case occurred recently and finding the root cause why the state of affairs has been happened in Korea. Though the presidential records management law ensures the rights for the prior president to view his presidential records, the prior president has copied his presidential records produced while in office and moved to his private house at his retirement. He might have interpreted his right to his presidential records too broadly and done the 'draining away' them. There was a motive why the prior president did that at that time. The reason was because the National Archives didn't guarantee the services for right viewing the records to him who wanted to review his records from right after his retirement. The National Archives have judged the draining away the prior presidential records as illegal and accused a few public servants suspected to be responsible for the affairs. The formal accuser is the National Archives, but the actual accuser might be the current Presidential Secretariat. Whatever the results of juristic judgement are, the reason why the records management field should focus and treat this case importantly is that the collapse possibility of the protection wall needed essentially and critically to the Presidential records becomes very high. The root cause of this case might exist in the fact that the records and archives management organizations have not owned the political independence. But the National Archives has submitted the revised bill of the public records and archives management law which lower the position of the National Records Management Committee controlled under from the Prime Minister to the Ministry of Administration and Security. It might be hot concern that the records and archives management organizations have difficulty for keeping the political independence if the revision would be passed. Besides the political independence factor, the most important factor needed for the right records management is the establishing the professional specificity of records management. The specific action for the establishing professional specificity would be employing of specialists and introducing the open official appointment. But it was found from the reorganization after the governmental change that the professional specificity of the National Archives have been reduced. Although the policies introduced by the new government are worrying, it might be an inheritance from the prior government. If new government would build establish the institution for the political independence of the records and archives management organizations and expand the employment of the records management professions to the local government, these affairs can be not only the responsibilities but also the achievements of the new government.