The Dilemmas and Choices of the Roh Moo-hyun Administration

『The Dilemmas and Choices of the Roh Moo-hyun Administration』 can be considered a sequel to 『Conditions for a Successful Presidency I, II』, published last year as part of the East Asia Institute (EAI)'s policy project for 'Creating a Successful President.' While the previous two books focused on evaluating the causes of failure in past administrations by synthesizing the experiences of former high-ranking government officials and policy research by expert groups, this book primarily aims to objectively present the current state of Korean society as a whole and the political consciousness of the public in each sector, especially in view of the upcoming launch of a new administration. Unlike opinion polls focused on major current issues, this is a comprehensive collection of data that presents the results of a survey with 75 questions covering the direction of state administration expected by the public from the participatory government and various political, economic, and social sectors. In particular, setting 22 common questions for major issues and separately surveying 339 opinion leaders highlights the data value contained in this book in itself.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Purpose and Structure of This Book | Ha-kyung Lee

1. Why This Book is Published

2. How It Was Made: Methodology of the Survey and Questionnaire Items

3. Structure of This Book

4. Summary of Major Survey Results

Chapter 2: The Character of the Roh Moo-hyun Administration | Won-taek Kang

1. Introduction

2. Perceptions of the Relationship Between the Roh Moo-hyun and Kim Dae-jung Administrations

3. How is the Roh Moo-hyun Administration Different from the Kim Dae-jung Administration?

4. Political Reform and the Roh Moo-hyun Administration: Expectations for a New Politics

5. Conclusion

Chapter 3: The Dilemma of Foreign Policy Decision-Making Amidst the Polarization of Security Consciousness | Nae-young Lee

1. Introduction

2. Historical Trends in Changes in Security Consciousness

3. Public Opinion in Foreign Affairs and Security in the 2003 Survey: Trends of Strengthening Progressive Tendencies and Preference Patterns by Issue

4. Polarization of Security Consciousness and Analysis of Causes

5. Determinants of Policy Preferences on Issues of Relations with the U.S. and Aid to North Korea

Chapter 4: The Balance Between Growth and Distribution is Key | Geun Lee / Won-chil Jeong

1. Introduction

2. Evaluation of Economic Performance Over the Past Five Years and Outlook for the Next Five Years

3. Key Tasks and Policy Direction in the Economic Sector: Growth vs. Distribution

4. Issues Related to Various Policies and Regulations

5. Feasibility of Economic Pledges and Implementation Strategies

6. Beneficiary and Cooperative Groups of the Participatory Government

7. Summary and Conclusion

Chapter 5: Tasks for Moving Towards a Mature Society | Suk-jong Lee

1. Priority of Social Issue Reform in Various Sectors

2. Growth and Welfare

3. Top Priority Task in the Social Sector

4. Public Opinion on Specific Issues

Chapter 6: Tasks for Political and Administrative Reform and the Dilemma of Institutional Reform | Nae-young Lee / Han-wool Jeong

1. Introduction

2. Direction of Political Reform Desired by the Public and Policy Preferences in Individual Areas

3. Institutionalization of Reform Through the Restructuring of Power

4. Institutionalization of Reform Through Political Realignment Centered on Ideology

5. Conclusion

Chapter 7: Opinion Leaders: A Balancing Force for Reform or the Source of Conservative Opinion? | Han-wool Jeong / Hyun-ji Lee

1. Introduction

2. Who Are the Opinion Leaders, and What Are We Trying to Analyze?

3. Comparison of Policy Preference Tendencies Between Opinion Leaders and the General Public Survey Results

4. Comparison of Positions Between Ideology and Policy

5. Qualitative Comparison Between Opinion Leaders and General Public Opinion: Focusing on Ideological Consistency

6. Conclusion

Chapter 8: Prospects for the Roh Moo-hyun Administration and the Direction of State Administration | Min-jeon Kim

1. Introduction

2. Public Optimism Towards the Roh Moo-hyun Administration: Reflection of Expectations and Cooperative Sentiments

3. Public Policy Support Distribution and the Obstacles the Roh Moo-hyun Administration Must Overcome

4. Strategy for Forming a Majority Policy Coalition as Reflected in Public Opinion

5. Conclusion

Author

Kang Won-taek

Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Geography, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. Formerly a senior researcher at the Hyundai Economic Research Institute and a visiting research fellow at the Institute for Far Eastern Studies, Kyungnam University. Currently a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Soongsil University.

Publications: "An Analysis of Support for Third Candidates in Korean Presidential Elections" (Korea and International Politics), "Protest Voting and Abstention under Plurality Rule Elections: An Alternative Public Choice Approach" (Journal of Theoretical Politics), and others.

Kim Min-jeon

Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Diplomacy, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Iowa, USA. Formerly a policy researcher in the Legislative and Budget Office of the National Assembly Secretariat and a professor at the Training Institute of the National Assembly Secretariat. Currently a professor in the Department of International Area Studies at Kyung Hee University.

Publications: "An Evaluation of Past Electoral District Apportionments for the National Assembly: Focusing on Vote Equivalence and Fairness Among Parties" (Korean Political Science Review 2001), "Strategic Intentions and Outcomes of Electoral System Changes: Focusing on Past National Assembly Elections" (Korean Political Science Review 2002), and others.

Lee Keun

Currently a professor in the Department of Economics at Seoul National University and Director of the Center for Economic Catch-up and Corporate Strategy at EAI. Graduated from Seoul National University, Department of Economics, holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, and formerly served as a research fellow at the East-West Center, University of Hawaii, USA, and an assistant professor at the University of Aberdeen, UK.

Publications: Economics for Koreans, China's Corporations and Economy, The Knowledge-Information Revolution and Korea's New Industries, etc.

Lee Nae-young

Graduated from Korea University, Department of Political Science and International Relations, and holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Formerly a research fellow at the Sejong Institute and a professor at the Graduate School of International Studies, Kyung Hee University. Currently a professor in the Department of Political Science and International Relations at Korea University and Director of the EAI Center for Political and Social Surveys.

Publications: "2002 Presidential Election Evaluation and Tasks for the Roh Moo-hyun Administration" (co-authored) (Issue Today 2003), "World Order in Transition and the Korean Peninsula" (co-edited) (Oreum 2001), "Legacy Issues and Democratic Consolidation" (Journal of East Asian Studies 2003), "A Comparative Study of Regionalism in East Asia and the Americas" (Asian Perspective 2002), and others.

Lee Ha-kyung

Graduated from Korea University, Department of Economics. Formerly a reporter in the Culture, Society, and Politics departments of the JoongAng Ilbo newspaper and a visiting researcher at Indiana University, USA. Currently the Deputy Chief of the Political Desk at the JoongAng Ilbo. Recipient of numerous awards, including the 34th Korean Press Award (for an in-depth report on parliamentary alignments), the 16th Presidential Election Planning Reporting Award, and the 1st Local Comprehensive Election Excellence Reporting Award.

Publications: "Retirement Era: Finding 120% of Your Rights" (Guide to Utilizing Social Safety Nets, Chamsol 1998).

Jeong Won-chil

Team Leader, Media Publishing Team, Issue Today. Holds a Master's degree in Public Administration from Chung-Ang University. Participated in numerous research projects, including those for the Anti-Corruption Special Committee, the Asan Foundation for Arts and Culture, and the Seoul National University Research Support Division.

Publications: "2002 Presidential Election Evaluation and Tasks for the Roh Moo-hyun Administration," Empirical Study on Government Image Measurement and Evaluation, Empirical Study on the Possibility of Establishing New Human Archetypes Through Cyberspace, etc.

Jeong Han-ul

Master's candidate in Political Science at Korea University.

Lee Hyun-ji

Research Fellow at EAI, Master's candidate in Political Science at Korea University.

For the convenience of our readers, portions of the manuscript for this book are being made available.