[YEAR-END REVIEW] A year of discontent over wide-ranging reform

The government has pushed a range of reform measures affecting major areas including the judiciary, labor, education and local administrations this year. The government can claim some success for achieving more transparency and efficiency in society but its policies have sparked conflicts among politicians, regions and interest groups.

Education had a turbulent year as government policies faced strong opposition from schools and teachers.

Clashes broke out between the Education Ministry and some leading universities when the schools accused the government of meddling in a number of issues from admission guidelines to the method of electing presidents.

Universities were also at odds with the government over a plan to introduce a new medical graduate school system.

Unionized teachers fought the ministry`s plan to introduce a new teacher evaluation system, under which their performance will be assessed by university presidents, colleagues, students and parents.

The ministry pushed ahead with the program and selected 48 sample elementary, middle and high schools to administer the pilot system until next August.

The new school reform bill, which the National Assembly passed earlier this month, also sparked strong opposition from private schools and the main opposition party. The government said the revised Private Schools Law aims to raise the transparency of the country`s educational system, to guarantee a more democratic system of school management, but opposition groups have expressed concerns that the autonomy of private schools will be threatened.

Some schools have said they would not accept new students for the next academic year and the opposition GNP is boycotting the parliamentary sessions.

Incessant conflicts dominated labor relations this year as dialogue between labor unions, management and the government was paralyzed because of differences on reform measures.

The government has pushed to overhaul labor-management relations including easing restriction on employment of temporary workers while providing better protection for them.

The measures have been deadlocked in the face of opposition by labor groups. Labor bills have been on hold in the National Assembly since they were submitted late in 2004.

Major labor umbrella groups refused to attend dialogue panels with the government and management while demanding resignation of Labor Minister Kim Dae-whan and withdrawal of the bills.

Overall labor walkouts declined in number though by strikes by nonregular workers increased. As of November, the number of strikes decreased by 40 percent to 274 on-year and lost work days due to strikes were reduced by 30 percent to 82,000, the Ministry of Labor said.

The government took tougher steps against labor action. The government exercised its emergency arbitration right twice to end strikes by hospital workers in July and unionized pilots at Asian Airlines in December.

Since the government`s right to intervene in labor disputes was introduced in 1963, it was exercised only twice until last year.

Main labor unions were embroiled in a series of corruption scandals, which dealt a severe blow to their leaderships.

Lee Soo-ho, president of the nation`s second-largest umbrella labor organization, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, was forced to step down in October following a corruption scandal involving its vice president.

Heads of strong carmaker unions - Kia Motors Ltd. and Hyundai Motors - also received prison terms for their involvement in a money-for-jobs scandal earlier this year.

The judiciary and law enforcement agencies went through major changes and discords.

In the Supreme Court, the appointment of a new chief justice Lee Yong-hun in October brought a new wave of judicial reforms in the court.

Lee pledged to join government efforts to uncover the truth behind past injustices committed by the state in order to regain the people`s confidence in the legal system.

The Supreme Court began reviewing past cases in which the judiciary may have issued unjust rulings under political pressure from authoritarian governments during the 1970s-80s.

Lee also made changes in the composition of the Supreme Court nominating three new justices: two progressives and a conservative to vacant seats, intending to reach a balance between introducing progressive elements while maintaining the status quo.

The appointment of two relatively young judges - Kim Ji-hyung, 47, and Park Si-hwan, 52, broke the custom of seniority-based promotions and earned disapproval from senior judges who had also vied for the positions.

Another change of leadership took place fortuitously in the prosecution when Kim Jong-bin resigned from his post as prosecutor-general after a dispute with the justice minister who ordered him not to detain a professor for allegedly breaking the National Security Law with pro-North Korean comments.

It was the first time the justice minister used his authority to overrule the decision of the prosecutor-general, igniting strong complaints from prosecutors.

This event subtly shifted the governing dynamics between the prosecution and Justice Ministry, proving a blow to what has been criticized as the unwieldy powers of the prosecution.

The prosecution also clashed with the police over criminal investigation rights. Prosecutors and police have been in a turf war since the police started demanding a revision of the criminal procedural law last year, complaining that the prosecutors` control on police is stifling.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Committee on Judicial Reform led a rigorous reform drive in the past year, achieving several goals. It established a graduate law school program designed to complement the undergraduate legal education and to accommodate students who have no previous legal education.

The court decided to give more weight to the statements of the defendant during trials rather than relying heavily on the prosecutor`s evidence to make a ruling. This is a measure to ensure a fair trial for the accused until proven guilty.

The court has also made efforts to get citizens to participate in trials, providing a more open and democratic atmosphere.

(milaya@heraldm.com)

(hjjin@heraldm.com)

(jkwon@heraldm.com)

(aibang@heraldm.com)