• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.41-75
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• 2004

This research discusses how to improve the current environment for record management in relation to the Revision of the Law of Record Management in South Korea. Three major issues are: 1) Legal status of the National Archives & Records Service of Korea as the government institution in charge of managing centrally records, 2) System for the education and training of professionals who specialize in record management, and 3) Foundation of the national museum and archives of records. Findings are as follows: First, the existing 'National Office of Records' as the government institution in charge of managing records, should be promoted to the 'National Archives & Records Service of Korea' in order to be administered by the class of a vice-minister in the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. Second, the qualification criteria which currently requires the Master's degree of Record Management, should be modified to include the Bachelor's degree in the field in order to expand the pool of professional human resources. Also, to hire the public officials for record management, either the positions of 'researcher/record manager group' should be created, or the existing positions of librarian, archivist, and record manager should be integrated into the new position of 'record culture group'. Third, the most significant task for the office of record management of local governments is to inherit and further develop the traditional culture and documentary legacy which are unique to those local communities and governments at various levels, and a priority should be given to those tasks. Therefore, when the Law of Record Management will be later revised, the establishment of the office of record management for local governments at every level should be required, and the museum and archives of records should be also established as a significant part of the institution. Unique local culture and history of particular communities should be collected and preserved in systematically specialized and differentiated ways in those institutions of record management, and the names should be uniquely given to the institutions according to the characteristics of local governments.

• Journal of Korean Society of Archives and Records Management
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.159-184
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• 2003

In this research the issues of record management of national archives in Korea are classified into four categories: 1) improving the status of the Central Archives of Korea, 2) constructing a new national archives, 3) revising the law on the record management, 4) creating qualifications for a professional administrator for Archivist. 1) In order to strengthen the function of the Central Archives of Korea, it is very urgent to create a systematic mechanism in which the Central Archives oversees and administers public archives(documents) collected from all the public institutions not only under the Administration but also the legislature and the judicial authorities. 2) This paper suggests that a new National Archives should be a symbolic building representing Korea as archives. Considering the fact that Presidents archives will be a part of this new National Archives, it also suggests that artistic and decorative pieces which embody Korea's representative archives or people should be included in the building. The budget for these should be supplied by the government. 3) This paper looks at the matter of revising the law on Record Management in two respects: (1)strengthening the function of the Central Archives of Korea, (2)making it obligatory to produce archives not open to the public, or making a protection clause for secret archives. This paper proposes that the Central Archives of Korea will be able to collect all the public archives from all the public institutions, and to oversee and administer them by revising the 5th and 6th clauses of the current law on the record management. It also proposes that some laws which make it obligatory to produce archives for documents not open to the public, and which protect those secrecy. 4) Regarding the qualifications for a professional administrator for the record management, this paper suggests lowering the qualification a little to the bachelor's degree of the record management. Also it suggests taking into consideration the persons in charge of the record management in public institutions and acknowledging their qualifications after a certain period of training at the Central Archives of Korea or something like that. In addition, it classifies the ranks of the professional administrators according to their qualifications.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.3
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• pp.91-113
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• 2001

History always be re-interpreted as the time flows. 'The Sillok', Which was registered in Memory of World of UNESCO in 1997, is comprehensive documents of the Chosun Dynasty, which had been compiled after kings' death, The Sillok encompasses 473 years of the reign in their 848 volumes(1,893 chapters). It was a history itself and has been main source in studying Korean history. Due to the rise of studies on the Sillok, time has come to explore the nature of the Sillok and to criticize the text, which would be called 'The Sillok-Study'. In this context, this paper examined three concepts that categorize the nature of the Sillok as historical materials ;Is it book or record?; The Sillok in register system in pre-modern society; And the Sillok as the National Archives. Korean historians, including myself, haven't yet examined the question whether the Sillok is the Book or Record in terms of archival science. At first, I regarded it as history book, and with this presupposition, wrote several papers on the characteristics of the Sillok. However, I recognized that the Sillok are close to record rather that history book as I examined the definition of glossary of librarian study, OED (Oxford English Dictionary) and Encyclopedia of Britannica, etc. Definitely, the Sillok was neither compiled and published to be read and sold publicly, nor meant to the works of literature or scholarship. one may say that the court-historians wrote comments on the facts and therefore it was just scholarly work. However, because the court-historians produced their comments on their own businesses, the outcome of 'their scholarly works' were also records conceptually, as were daily court-journalists in Rome. Its publication also had a absolutely different meaning from that of modern society. It was a method to preserve the important national records and distributed each edition of them to plural repositories for its safety and security. How can we explain its book-like shape and the procedure of compilation after a kings' death. The answer is as follows ; In pre-modern society, it was a common record-keeping system in the world to register records materials in order to arrange the materials of different sizes and to store them conveniently. And the lack of scientific preservation or conservation skill also encouraged them to register original records. Actually, the court-historians who participated in the compiling process called themselves "registering officers". On the other hand, similar to social hierarchy, there was a hierarchical system of records, and the Sillok was placed at the top of this hierarchy. In conclusion, the Sillok was a kind of registered records in the middle ages and the supreme records in the records-world. In addition to this we can also conceptualize the Sillok as archives. Through the compiling process, the most important and valuable records were selected to be the parts of Sillok. This process corresponds to the modem records appraisal. In the next step, it was preserved in the Four Archives(史庫) which located at remote site as archives and only accessible by the descendents in the future, who might be the people of the next dynasty. And nobody could access or read the documents at that time except the authorized court-historians who were archivists of the Chosun Dynasty. From this perspective, I conclude that Sillok was the supreme confidential archives in the register system. I work for the Government Archives as a historian and archivist. Whenever I entered the exhibition hall of the Government Archives and Records Service(GARS) and saw the replica of the Archives of Taebeak Mountain built during Chosun period, I always asked to myself a question whether the Sillok can be a symbol of the archival tradition of Korea and the GARS. Now, I can say, 'Yes!' definitely.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.55
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• pp.39-71
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to examine the reality of the records management of the National Assembly members and suggest a desirable alternative. Until the Public Records Management Act was enacted in 1999, the level of the records management in the National Assembly was not beyond that of the document management in both the administration and the legislature. Rather, the National Assembly has maintained a records management tradition that systematically manages the minutes and bills since the Constitutional Assembly. After the Act was legislated in 2000, the National Assembly Records Management Regulation was enacted and enforced, and the Archives was established in the form of a subsidiary organ of the Secretariat of the National Assembly, even though its establishment is not obligatory. In addition, for the first time, an archivist was assigned as a records and archives researcher in Korea, whose role is to respond quickly in accordance with the records schedule of the National Assembly, making its service faster than that of the administration. However, the power of the records management of the National Assembly Archives at the time of the Secretariat of the National Assembly was greatly reduced, so the revision of the regulations in accordance with the revised Act in 2007 was not completed until 2011. In the case of the National Assembly, the direct influence of the executive branch was insignificant. As the National Assembly had little direct influence on the administration, it had little positive influence on records management innovation under Roh Moo-Hyun Administration. Even within the National Assembly, the records management observed by its members is insignificant both in practice and in theory. As the National Assembly members are excluded from the Act, there is no legal basis to enforce a records management method upon them. In this study, we analyze the records management problem of the National Assembly members, which mainly concerns the National Assembly records management plan established in the National Archives. Moreover, this study proposes three kinds of records management methods for the National Assembly members, namely, the legislation and revision of regulations, the records management consulting of the National Assembly members, and the transfer of the dataset of administrative information systems and websites.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.29
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• pp.3-33
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• 2011

No one can deny the harsh reality that archival culture has not yet been permeated extensively into all the spheres of our society. Only fragmented records in fixed areas are in the custody of archives. Records to build a living memory for the history of our present are hard to find or remain minimal, if anywhere. Above all, there are few records in archives concerned with the everyday life of common people. No consideration has not been made about the reason for being of archives, not to mention of the strategy for establishing the archival culture. Accordingly, a paradigm shift is required for archives directly connected with the everyday life of common people. Archives of everyday life means one which interprets the behaviour and experiences of individuals(groups) within the context of society through categorizing everyday life of common people into the lesser fields. And archives of everyday life also means an organization or facility/place which documents the everyday life of individuals(groups), and collect, appraise, select and preserve the records from the view point of humanities for the reconstruction of history from the bottom. Archives of everyday life is an attempt to reconstruct memory and records on behaviour by and torment of the common people in the modern history of Korea, on the basis of which we can seek out the oppressive structure in the daily life of capitalism. Archival community should discuss about what is the meaning of records in the age of democracy unlike that of authoritarian era. We also need to have definite direction on the what kinds of records are to be created and appraised from the standpoint of common people. We are to make it possible to create Zeitgeist in the tackle of records and archives' content. on this kind of attempt archival community could make a practical contribution forward a more advanced democracy, resulted in having an opportunity to change the essence of archives.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.54
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• pp.179-210
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• 2017

By redefining the concept of history, my colleagues and I have reformed our department in terms of curriculum and faculty members. This paper is a report of some of the conclusions that we have obtained from this procedure. Despite a long relationship, two disciplines do not seem to match or complement each other in the Korean education system. We believe that this is due to the fact that the Department of Korean History has focused on "national history (NH)." By conferring a privilege on NH, persons, families, societies, regions, and others were removed from NH. To make matters worse, a biased view that history is just an interpretation has prevailed, and the empiricism of history was weakened, which brought about an indifference in keeping records and archives. In East Asia, "history" means both modern history and archives. The concern about the authenticity of records did not come from H. Jenkinson or L. Duranti, and not even from the electronic environment or the Public Records Act of 1998. Key concepts such as records, documents-archives, manuscripts, authenticity, compilation-appraisal, arrangement, and description are different from their signifiant but are same or similar to their $signifi{\acute{e}}$. In case of "provenance" and "original order," they are used in education and practice in the traditional archives. History includes the recording, archiving, and the story or historiography of an event. In this context, the Department of Korean History should contain a more archives-oriented curriculum and select an archival-trained faculty. On the other hand, the department has accumulated long-term experience with appraisal and description of records; thus, archival science should absorb the criticism of the material. History will be shaken without the help of archives, while archives will lose their root without history. We are at the point in which we need to be reminded why we want to be a historian or an archivist, and for this, the more colleagues, the better.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.47
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• pp.95-130
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• 2016

The job satisfaction of records managers is of importance because it affects their work performance and retention. The purpose of this study is to investigate records managers' job satisfaction and to identify factors affecting records manager's job satisfaction to find the way to improve their job satisfaction. Specific questions of the study are as follows: 1) What is the job satisfaction of records managers? 2) Are factors affecting job satisfaction different depending on record managers' personal characteristics? 3) What are the most influential factors on job satisfaction? To do that, questionnaires were used to gather data from 60 domestic records managers working in different types of records centers. Data analyses included descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, independent t-test, and multiple-regression analysis. Additionally, interviews with 2 record managers were conducted to collect opinions on factors affecting job dissatisfaction and recommendations for improving their job satisfaction. Important findings of the study are as follows: First, the respondents are moderately satisfied with their jobs (3.2 out of 5 points). The level of job satisfaction is different depending on years of career, years of employment, number of personnel the respondent is working with in the records center, and etc. The number of personnel the respondent is working with was found to be the most influential factor. Second, multiple-regression analysis result shows that motivation factors(satisfaction factors) are more influential than hygiene factors (dissatisfaction factors) on the respondents' job satisfaction, which confirms Herzberg's two factor theory. More specifically, 'work ethic,' one of motivator factors, has the greatest influence, followed by 'procedural impartiality', 'communication', 'job characteristic', 'distributive justice', and 'working conditions.' Based on the results, this study suggests several ways to improve record managers' job satisfaction level. First, the awareness of records management should be increased. The respondents indicated that their job dissatisfaction is usually derived from a lack of the awareness of records management. Therefore, every chief of organizations, National Archives of Korea, and records managers themselves should try to raise the awareness of records management. Especially, records managers should make stronger efforts to attract the office's attention. Second, records managers ought to establish their identity as records management profession. Also, they should participate in various activities of the archival community to overcome the limitation of individuals.

• The Korean Journal of Archival Studies
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• no.26
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• pp.103-149
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• 2010

Documentation strategy has been experimented in various subject areas and local regions since late 1980's when it was proposed as archival appraisal and selection methods by archival communities in the United States. Though it was criticized to be too ideal, it needs to shed new light on the potentialities of the strategy for documenting local regions in digital environment. The purpose of this study is to analyse the implementation issues of documentation strategy and to suggest the directions for documenting local regions of Korea through the application of the strategy. The documentation strategy which was developed more than twenty years ago in mostly western countries gives us some implications for documenting local regions even in current digital environments. They are as follows; Firstly, documentation strategy can enhance the value of archivists as well as archives in local regions because archivist should be active shaper of history rather than passive receiver of archives according to the strategy. It can also be a solution for overcoming poor conditions of local archives management in Korea. Secondly, the strategy can encourage cooperation between collecting institutions including museums, libraries, archives, cultural centers, history institutions, etc. in each local region. In the networked environment the cooperation can be achieved more effectively than in traditional environment where the heavy workload of cooperative institutions is needed. Thirdly, the strategy can facilitate solidarity of various groups in local region. According to the analysis of the strategy projects, it is essential to collect their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm of related groups to effectively implement the strategy. It can also provide a methodology for minor groups of society to document their memories. This study suggests the directions of documenting local regions in consideration of current archival infrastructure of Korean as follows; Firstly, very selective and intensive documentation should be pursued rather than comprehensive one for documenting local regions. Though it is a very political problem to decide what subject has priority for documentation, interests of local community members as well as professional groups should be considered in the decision-making process seriously. Secondly, it is effective to plan integrated representation of local history in the distributed custody of local archives. It would be desirable to implement archival gateway for integrated search and representation of local archives regardless of the location of archives. Thirdly, it is necessary to try digital documentation using Web 2.0 technologies. Documentation strategy as the methodology of selecting and acquiring archives can not avoid subjectivity and prejudices of appraiser completely. To mitigate the problems, open documentation system should be prepared for reflecting different interests of different groups. Fourth, it is desirable to apply a conspectus model used in cooperative collection management of libraries to document local regions digitally. Conspectus can show existing documentation strength and future documentation intensity for each participating institution. Using this, documentation level of each subject area can be set up cooperatively and effectively in the local regions.