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South Korea Local Administration
South Korea in 1990 was divided into six provincial-level
cities--the special city (t' ukpyolsi) of Seoul (Soult ' ukpyolsi to Koreans) and the five cities directly governed
(chikhalsi) by the central government, Pusan, Taegu,
Inch'on, Taejon, and Kwangju--and nine provinces, or
to
(see Glossary) including Cheju Island
(see
fig. 1). Major cities
were divided into wards (ku) and precincts (tong).
A province was composed of counties (gun) and cities
(si) with a population of more than 50,000. A county
consisted of towns (up) with a population of 20,000 and
more each, townships (myon), and villages (ri).
Both cities and towns had further subdivisions designed to
facilitate communication between government and people on local
community matters.
The need for local self-government was first recognized in
1948; a local autonomy law was enacted in 1949. It was not until
December 1960, however, that local elections for the mayors of
Seoul and Pusan, provincial governors, and local councils--the
first in Korean history--were held. Under the system in operation
from the military coup d'état of May 1961 until late 1969, Seoul,
Pusan, and the provincial governments were under the direct
control of the central government. In view of its special
importance, Seoul was controlled by the central government and
made subordinate to the Office of the Prime Minister. Provincial
administrations and the special cities reported to the Department
of Local Affairs of the Ministry of Home Affairs. Likewise,
administrative departments of provincial and city governments
maintained close contacts with the regional and central offices
of the respective cabinet ministries. The police apparatus in
each locale also was administratively responsible to the National
Police Headquarters in Seoul. The mayor of Seoul was appointed by
the president and usually was regarded as his close confidant.
Heads of other administrative divisions were recommended by the
minister of home affairs for presidential approval. Mayors of
ordinary cities and county chiefs--members of the civil service--
were recommended by the provincial governor for appointment by
the president. Heads of towns and townships were named by county
chiefs; heads of wards and precincts by mayors; and village
chiefs by heads of townships.
Under the system of proportionality in use in the National
Assembly in 1985, the majority of the at-large seats--two-thirds-
-was given to the party that came in first. This arrangement
disproportionately favored the government party, with its
traditional advantages of incumbency. Thus, in the 1985 general
elections, the government party ended up with a little over 35
percent of the popular vote--the largest share--but held more
than 53 percent of the seats in the legislature. Conversely, the
second-placed party, with roughly 29 percent of the votes,
occupied just over 24 percent of the seats after the at-large
seats were distributed. The two-member district system used in
1985 also helped the government party, which had little chance of
finishing first in many pro-opposition urban districts, but could
hope to win a second-place seat (see
table 11, Appendix).
In late 1989, the National Assembly passed legislation
designed to increase local autonomy over the following two years.
Under the newly amended Act Concerning Local Autonomy, local
autonomy was to be introduced in several phases. Local councils
would be elected by June 1990. The central government was to
continue appointing local administrative heads--including mayors
of the six special cities and nine provinces--until elections for
those posts, scheduled for 1991, could be held. The government
would retain full control over deputy heads of special cities and
provinces for the first four years, after which the central
government would merely ratify the choices of the mayors and
provincial governors. In a last-minute compromise, the National
Assembly acceded to the opposition parties' position, permitting
political parties to nominate candidates for local elections
either individually or in coalition with other parties. Related
laws scheduled for National Assembly consideration in 1990, were
expected to address other details of local government, including
the question of financial autonomy.
Data as of June 1990
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