Empty Slogan of `Small Government`

The government held a state council chaired by President Kim Dae-Jung at the Blue House on May 21 and decided to add 631 more public officials to the authorized number of officials in seven government agencies including the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications (MIT).

The increased number of officials that are passed in the day are; 401 in the MIT, 66 in the Ministry of Justice, 50 in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, 42 in the Ministry of Labor, 26 in the Customs Administration, 24 in the Food and Drug Administration, and 22 in the Weather Bureau.

Accordingly, the number of government employees increased this year recorded a total of 13,752 including 12,000 teachers. This is the first year the incumbent administration increased the authorized number of public officials since the beginning its launch in February 1998.

As government agencies increased the official ceiling of the authorized public officials trying to outnumber other agencies in the end of the regime of Kim Dae-Jung government, the criticism that the original `small government` platform was an empty slogan is gaining force.

The government has a plan, following the further increase of 500 officials within this year, to employ 13,500 teachers more in the next year for best-quality education

A related person in the government explained, `As laws are newly enacted and revised, and facilities and equipments are introduced, the increase of the authorized number of public employees is inevitable in some way, and also the new demand for administrative services should be considered.

Dong-Ki Sung esprit@donga.com