• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
• /
• no.18
• /
• pp.281-315
• /
• 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
• /
• no.33
• /
• pp.113-153
• /
• 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
• /
• no.18
• /
• pp.257-280
• /
• 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.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
• /
• no.32
• /
• pp.45-78
• /
• 2012

The significance of Presidential Impeachment in 2004 is subject to interpretations in many different contexts, but its nature as its justice was the constitutional trial by the nation's impeachment system. This study set out to compare and analyze the understanding of the event centered around its nature as "an impeachment event as a public activity" and the records related to it. For that purpose, the study attempted to analyze the impeachment event to understand it as a public activity and examined and analyzed the records of the impeachment event in the public domain through personal visit, phone interview, and request of information disclosure based on the analysis results. An impeachment event as a public activity can be understood as an activity carried out by the National Assembly, which is to issue a motion for impeachment under the norms of the nation's impeachment system, and Constitutional Court, which is responsible for impeachment trial, through their unique rights prescribed in the Constitution. The important subjects of such a public activity included the accused president, the acting presidential system created by the motion for impeachment, and the National Election Commission that provided a decisive ground for impeachment. It was confirmed that the records, which are legal requirements, were well created and have been preserved and managed in the public domain. However, it was difficult to conclude that the records of the impeachment event were thoroughly created in terms of content in relation to affairs as they mainly covered the superficial treatment processes and the results of explicit activities. There was, in particular, the absence of records showing the context of activity.

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

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.81-105
• /
• 2020

This study examines the possibility of applying various recordkeeping methods through a platform built in 2019 by the National Archives of Korea. In particular, it aims to develop a way to track and store transactions using blockchain and to design and present the method of records management automation using smart contracts. In this regard, a literature review, a system analysis of CAMS and MAM, interviews with the experts, designing, implementation, and the development of the system's proof of concept were performed. These efforts resulted in the proposal of an archives and records management strategy utilizing blockchain, which guarantees transparency and accountability by preserving an audit trail on recordkeeping activities.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
• /
• no.34
• /
• pp.3-28
• /
• 2012

The year of 2013 is the first year that the new president takes the power and administrates the national affairs. In Korea, when the new president comes, the new administration brings big changes in the politics, economy, and society. The government management style has been changed according to the orientation and styles of the new president. Public records management is a critical and effective business tool to establish and carry out the government policies as well as an essential tool for democracy. Modern democracy is based on good governance. Creation and free use of full and accurate public records makes the good communication between the government and the public possible, and people's participation in the policy-making and surveillance of government activities for public good can work. During the present administration, communication between the president and the people was cutoff and people's participation in the national affairs have been further limited. Furthermore, in the present administration, the public records management was not regarded important, Whatever new administration comes, the year of 2013 is the time for the new administration to realize again the importance of the public records management and put it back to the normal track. Here are the major issues in the public records management to be concerned and resolved; (1) to ensure technological and institutional management of the electronic records in the government and safe transfer of the massive electronic records, (2) to establish an independent national records management and archives authority to be based on good governance, (3) to innovate the public records management in the public agencies including their agency records offices (RMO) and records management systems (RMS) (4) to establish local government archives and document local government policies and activities (5) supporting and promotion for documentation of the total society as a public service (6) expanding employment of professional records managers and archivists in the central and local governments, and standardization of professional competency and certification. In this paper, I will introduce the major issues in the public records management and suggest the policies and solutions that the Korean records professionals considered and discussed. This analysis and suggestions are the outcome of our professional considerations and discussions.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
• /
• no.13
• /
• pp.3-40
• /
• 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
• /
• no.77
• /
• pp.37-74
• /
• 2023

As the Yoon Seok-yeol administration enters its second year in office, it is beginning to vigorously promote policies related to the "digital platform government," which is the 11th of the 120 national tasks. Accordingly, the Digital Platform Government Committee established and reported the 'Digital Platform Government Realization Plan' to the President in April 2023, and the 「Act on Provision and Use of Public Data」 and 「Data An amendment to the Act on the Vitalization of Infrastructure Administration" was submitted to the National Assembly in June 2023. In addition, the 「Regulations on the Promotion of Administrative Efficiency and Collaboration」, which is a Presidential Decree, was revised to 「Regulations on Operation and Innovation of Administrative Affairs」, including the name change, to effectively promote innovation in administrative work, and was completed on June 27, 2023. Therefore, this study aims to examine the trends of public institutions related to the digital platform government as a government task, and discuss whether the recent trends will affect the management of institutional records. Indications to respond to the government's digital platform, which is leading the way, it was emphasized that the operation of the current Medical Records Act is strange.