The Association of Southeast Asian Nations(ASEAN) is a geo?political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia. ASEAN was established in 1967 in Bangkok by the five original Member Countries(namely, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand). Later, five more countries joined it. Its aims include the acceleration of economic growth, social progress, cultural development among its members, and the promotion of regional peace. According to the ASEAN Secretariat, the ASEAN region has a population of about 583 million in 2009. Since ASEAN member countries as a whole perform well in general, many countries and international organizations recognize that ASEAN has become a very im- portant organization in the world. However, general under- standing of ASEAN member countries is generally not high enough. Although nowadays, many people are traveling to, and doing business with, these countries, they may not have an in?depth understanding of each individual ASEAN country. Accordingly, more substantial cooperative programs must be developed in order to promote awareness and understanding between ASEAN member countries and other parts of the world. This book intends to be one of the mediums to promote understanding of ASEAN member countries in the areas of public administration and public governance.
Asia is diverse. Asia can be divided into sub?regions: Northern Asia, Central Asia, Western Asia, Southern Asia, Eastern Asia, and Southeastern Asia. ASEAN member countries and East Asian countries(China, Japan, Korea, etc.) are somewhat geogra- phically distant. However, geographical distance should not be a serious barrier for promoting more cooperative relationships between ASEAN member countries and East Asian countries because we are living in an age of globalization and a boundaryless economy. Over time, more countries have wanted to develop a relationship with ASEAN, and this trend seems likely to continue into the future. Likewise, the relationship between ASEAN and East Asia will be expanded in the future. In order to expedite such a process, active scholarly dialogues and dissemination of comparative references would become a good vehicle for such transregional development.
In an era of globalization and information society, the Republic of Korea(ROK), as part of the Far Eastern group of countries, for example, needs to support a sustainable medium for ongoing professional dialogues in the region. Although ASEAN and ROK regularly emphasize to each other that they are close neighbors, there is still room for further development of more cooperative relationships in various sectors. Over the years, the economic and cultural relationships are growing rapidly between ASEAN member countries and ROK. Over the last 20 years, Korea- ASEAN relations have continued to develop in a wide range of areas, including the political, economic, social, and cultural fields. ASEAN has now emerged as Korea’s third largest trading partner and second largest investment destination. Furthermore, about 3~4 million Koreans visit ASEAN member countries every year.
However, there is still a substantial need for a more broad range of cooperative projects between ASEAN and ROK, which could produce a great deal of mutual benefit in the future. In order to promote understanding and cooperation between and ASEAN and ROK, there might be a number of different approaches. Among several areas of interest, this book concentrates on public affairs because public affairs would be one of the common interests in ASEAN and the Republic of Korea. In Asia, public affairs, including public administration and public governance issues, are very important for the development of ASEAN member countries and ROK. Public administration can be broadly described as the study and implementation of public policy, and it is linked to pursuing the public good through various governmental apparatus in each country. Accordingly, this book aims to cover the following issues: overview of sociopolitical context(historical development, government, structure, and society), current status of public administration and public governance(the central government, local gover- nments, civil service, public management, etc.), major issues or problems and public sector reforms in the recent years, public administration education and training(history of public admin- istration education and programs, research, and professional associations in public administration), and challenges including newly demanding tasks and prospects in the future.
Up to now, few comparative studies have been done on the issue of public administration in Asia, and those studies which have been done are mostly focused on the regional economy or international relations. Accordingly, a comparative study of public administration systems in these countries could make a significant contribution to understanding the public sectors of the Southeast Asian region better and to promoting further mutual cooperation in the region. Understanding the public sector of these countries is one of the basic steps for further development of collaboration and progress in the regions. In that regard, this book could be timely and valuable in promoting an in?depth understanding of public affairs in ASEAN member countries and ROK. As many Koreans realize the significance and importance of ASEAN in an age of globalization more people want to get involved in various development and learning opportunities about ASEAN and ASEAN member countries. More substantial and advanced levels of dialogue should be developed. However, there have been limited opportunities of scholarly dialogue between ASEAN member countries and ROK. Even reference materials are rare in ROK. A number of regional studies programs have been developed recently in ROK, but most programs are targeted toward an American, Western, or East Asia?orientation. Comprehensive Southeast Asian programs have been weak in ROK. Therefore, it is time to promote more attention toward Southeast Asian countries because ROK- ASEAN cooperation will rapidly increase in the near future. This book could fill such a gap by promoting scholarly dialogues in the field of public administration and public governance.
In order to carry out a comparative study on public ad- ministration and public governance, selected experts from each ASEAN member country were involved in the process. This book is an outcome of the ROK-ASEAN Public Management Forum (hereafter, the forum). The forum was composed of a number of experts(academia and practitioners) in the areas of public administration, and the first forum was held in Seoul in late 2008. I hope that this kind of forum continues to take place with the support of the ROK-ASEAN cooperation project and hope that it becomes an effective vehicle to promote a shared awareness and understanding of ASEAN member countries and ROK. Through such meetings and cooperation, a series of publications and dialogues on public affairs can be sustainably developed between ASEAN member countries and ROK. Finally, but not least, my sincere thanks go to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade(MOFAT) of the Republic of Korea. I especially wish to thank Mr. Thongphane Savanphet, Ms. Dini Yunita, and Ms. Yeajin Yoon for supporting the related project and work. It is expected that a series of book volumes could be produced as an output of the project.
Pan Suk Kim