Dokdo possesses diverse marine resources and has geographic importance as a communications base. Thus, it is important to properly utilize and preserve the island. For this reason, the National Assembly of Korea enacted the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo on May 18, 2005, to provide for the sustainable use, preservation, and management of the island and its neighboring waters, as well as its ecosystem. The Program on the Sustainable Use and Preservation of Dokdo began in 2006 as a pan-governmental program, based on the master plan and enforcement plans of the Act. As of 2013, its programs are being implemented by 12 ministries, with a combined annual budget of KRW 71,342 million.
An analysis of Program operation has identified various issues, including duplicate promotions by multiple ministries, delays in the construction of breakwaters, poor implementation of a database program, irrational processes, and an inappropriate scope of application of the Program on the Sustainable Use and Preservation of Dokdo. To resolve such issues, this report proposes the following solutions:
First, the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo needs to be revised. The Program on the Sustainable Use and Preservation of Dokdo is managed by the Committee on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo in its planning stages and by the joint-governmental Dokdo Territory Management and Countermeasures Team in its execution stages. In order to maintain program consistency and relevance, all management should be performed by a single organization: the Committee on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo. Moreover, as the Program budget is increasing due to the participation of 12 ministries, it is difficult for the National Assembly to determine its comprehensive status. Thus, an 'Annual Report on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo’ shall be prepared and submitted to the National Assembly prior to general meetings, which shall contain details of program performance for the previous year as well as budget execution by department and/or program.
Second, a review is needed to identify areas where improvements can be made, such as the duplicate programs or poor database use. The Minister of Oceans and Fisheries should confirm whether the setup and use of the database is being adequately performed, in accordance with the relevant laws and purposes, and request improvements in areas of poor performance to fulfill the original legal purpose of ‘producing and supplying knowledge and information on the ecosystem and marine resources of Dokdo and its surrounding waters.’
Third, implementation plans need to be matched with budgets. The Korean government should compile the programs of each ministry when formulating the 2014 budget, and prevent budget inputs to duplicate programs or programs that are difficult to proceed with, due to objections among departments. Also, in the future, the relevant laws and/or their enforcement decrees should be revised so that plans are first finalized and then budgets allocated. Once the budget bill is passed by the National Assembly, the plans need to be adjusted accordingly.
Fourth, a database about Dokdo should be developed and efficiently operated. In order to use and preserve Dokdo in a sustainable manner as a territory of the Republic of Korea, it is important to systematically accumulate and utilize information in the natural sciences, such as the ecology and marine resources of Dokdo, as well as in the humanities, such as the island’s history and geography. According to the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo, information sharing in the natural sciences is at the starting stage, with the legal basis to build and utilize a database. There are presently no legal grounds, however, for information sharing in the humanities. Thus, a new framework should be implemented to build a database and share information on academic research and historical and geographic data.
Ha Hyunsun
An analysis of Program operation has identified various issues, including duplicate promotions by multiple ministries, delays in the construction of breakwaters, poor implementation of a database program, irrational processes, and an inappropriate scope of application of the Program on the Sustainable Use and Preservation of Dokdo. To resolve such issues, this report proposes the following solutions:
First, the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo needs to be revised. The Program on the Sustainable Use and Preservation of Dokdo is managed by the Committee on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo in its planning stages and by the joint-governmental Dokdo Territory Management and Countermeasures Team in its execution stages. In order to maintain program consistency and relevance, all management should be performed by a single organization: the Committee on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo. Moreover, as the Program budget is increasing due to the participation of 12 ministries, it is difficult for the National Assembly to determine its comprehensive status. Thus, an 'Annual Report on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo’ shall be prepared and submitted to the National Assembly prior to general meetings, which shall contain details of program performance for the previous year as well as budget execution by department and/or program.
Second, a review is needed to identify areas where improvements can be made, such as the duplicate programs or poor database use. The Minister of Oceans and Fisheries should confirm whether the setup and use of the database is being adequately performed, in accordance with the relevant laws and purposes, and request improvements in areas of poor performance to fulfill the original legal purpose of ‘producing and supplying knowledge and information on the ecosystem and marine resources of Dokdo and its surrounding waters.’
Third, implementation plans need to be matched with budgets. The Korean government should compile the programs of each ministry when formulating the 2014 budget, and prevent budget inputs to duplicate programs or programs that are difficult to proceed with, due to objections among departments. Also, in the future, the relevant laws and/or their enforcement decrees should be revised so that plans are first finalized and then budgets allocated. Once the budget bill is passed by the National Assembly, the plans need to be adjusted accordingly.
Fourth, a database about Dokdo should be developed and efficiently operated. In order to use and preserve Dokdo in a sustainable manner as a territory of the Republic of Korea, it is important to systematically accumulate and utilize information in the natural sciences, such as the ecology and marine resources of Dokdo, as well as in the humanities, such as the island’s history and geography. According to the Act on the Sustainable Use of Dokdo, information sharing in the natural sciences is at the starting stage, with the legal basis to build and utilize a database. There are presently no legal grounds, however, for information sharing in the humanities. Thus, a new framework should be implemented to build a database and share information on academic research and historical and geographic data.
Ha Hyunsun