Park, Tae Kyu
Director of Administrative Service
The Government Archives & Records Service
The Ministry of Government Affairs and Home Affairs
The Republic of Korea

In February of this year, political power was transferred from the ruling party to the opposition for the first time since the founding of the Republic 50 years ago. And the "People's Government" was established. It is very encouraging because the new President Kim Dae Jung urged to preserve well all public records of the government activities. The President also promised people to renovate national archival systems to make the administration work in open procedures and with full responsibilities as evidenced by its records.

Early in this year, Korean government was restructured in large scale according to Kim administration's "small and powerful government" policy. On February 28, the Government Archives and Records Services is transferred to the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs. However, the administration's concern over national archival policies is greater than ever.

2. Main Tasks and projects of the G. A. R. S.

The Government Archives is now engaged in accomplishing several major projects.

First, moving to our new archives building in Taejeon Government Complex. The new archives is located in the newly built state-of-the-art building equipped with Korea's leading-edge information technology. The new archives is composed of repository, lecture hall, exhibition hall, computer laboratory, and offices totaling 96, 180 square feet. In Taejeon repository, the Chosunwangjosilrok (Annals of the Chosun dynasty), records of the Government General of Korea, and presidential records are reposited.

Second, the legislation of State Archives Preservation Laws.

The enactment of the State Archives Preservation Laws is chosen as one of "One Hundred Tasks of the People's Government". The law aims at establishing a unified archival system under the national archives to manage and preserve all state records. All government organizations, extant repositories and record-producing public agencies are to be subjected to the law. It will enhance our ability to collect records and manage archives produced in a more democratized and professionalized administration. The law will provide a solid foundation for extended use of archives, thus for cultural development of the Korean people.

Third, modernization of archival management and access.

It is very important for the national archives to have reliable statistical information on records production in the public agencies in order to collect rapidly growing volume of records properly. Registration of records at their formative stase in the computerized data base makes it possible. List of items of all inventoried public records are now registered in our data bas, and their digitized visual images will be also saved in our main server to provide necessary information to users. It means that people can have an immediate access to our archival holdings through their computer online connection.

The G.A.R.S. has worked vigorously to establish such modernized archival management systems for years. We invested 900,000 us dollars in 1997 and 1.5 us millionus dollars in 1998 for the project of computerization of archival management and digitalization of archives. In 1999 we will continue to put 1.5 million more dollars to establish a computerized archival management system including production, transfer, inventorying, preservation, and providing access. All materials classified into "open access' will be provided freely through computer network or internet.

Fourth, opening of a permanent archival exhibition hall.

Recently we opened a permanent archival exhibition hall in memory of the 50th anniversary of establishment of Korean government. The archival exhibition hall will serve to promote archival awareness and educate national history. The exhibition hall is named "Korea Archives Exhibition Hall". It is composed of pre-modern hall, modern-hall, contemporary hall and special exhibition hall. In launching the exhibition hall, archival education of visitors is strongly emphasized. By browsing 250 chosen archives items and explanatory panels, visitors are to realize our fine archival tradition and importance of archival institutions. Exhibited archives include several volumes of the Chosunwangjosilrok, records of the Government General, Presidential records with Presidents' signatures, and records of the 88' Seoul Olympic Game.

Fifth, the Public Works Program (PWP) for inventorying state records.

Due to lack of the budget and manpower, we could not inventory all collected archives. By hiring 208 temporary clerks through the PWP we began to inventory 35,000 volumes of records and 18,000 land registry maps. The Public Works Program is designed to provide the jobless white-collar workers with job opportunity to promote the economy. The temporary workers were put into simple inventorying works after one week of basic training. As you probably know, in the United States, the Work Progress Administration's "survey of Federal Archives Project" and "Historical Records Survey" relief programs during the New Deal helped to survey and inventory over five million linear feet of records.

3. Archival Education Program in the G. A. R. S. and its Prospects for Development.

Considering all these change, we need more professional archivists to cope with the expanding and professionalizing scope of our tasks. For this reason, we need professional archival training as an urgent matter. For example, we need archivists who can read the records of the 1950s which often used old-fashioned terms and cursive Chinese characters. To appraise historical preserving value of records, we need archivists who are trained in historical profession. Also to determine access and administrative use, we need people in the fields of law and public administrative use, we need people in the fields of law and public administration. Knowledge and ability to classify and inventory records for easy retrieval and convenient use is a must for archivists. To determine preservation method, we also need chemists and biologists. Overall, modern archives require archivists trained with comprehensive knowledge as well as specialized one.

As you know well, France has Ecole de Charts and China has Archival Colleges and Archival Graduate School with M. A. and doctorial program. Students trained in these archival educational institutions take charge of archival management and grow into specialists in the field. In Korea, however, there is not such an archival education institutions yet. Scholars who were trained in relevant fields such as history and library science are hired as specialists to do archival work. We hire specialists from historians to appraise records, librarians to inventory records, computer specialists to computerize the archival system and so on. But we understand this is only temporary measures to recruit specialists. In the long run, we expect that professional archival schools will appear.

G.A.R.S. is now offering short-term training courses for recordkeeping clerks of public agencies. The four-day course s comprised of archival policies, records management, archival technology centering on computerization, field study, and group discussion. The course is offered ten times a year and each course has about 60 students. Specialists in our archives give lecture for the classes. The participants said the archival courses were useful to them and the numbers of participants are increasing.

As courses are offered for public servants only, it does not offer courses to the public. Also it does not aim at bringing-up professional archivists. After the State Archives Preservation Laws is enacted, every level of archives, especially provincial archives, should be done only two years after from now on, people trained in archival college should take charge of archival management in Korea.

In Korea, concerns over archives and records management is enhanced among people. Recently, prominent historians and influential figures gathered together to organize an civilian archival institution called 'Research Institution of Korean Archives & Records" which will study and establish archival theories, and publish archival selections and translations, History departments and library science departments in colleges began to show interests in offering archival programs and make efforts to establish new department of archival studies.

The G.A.R.S. is now seriously considering sending its employees abroad for archival training. Our exchange program with the State Archives Administration of China is closely related to our efforts to recruit professional archivists.

In conclusion, the year of 1998 is very meaningful in terms that the State Archives Preservation Laws is legislated and that new archives was built and located at the center of the country establishing a modern archives. The task of bringing-up professional archivists will be more activated from this year. We ask your deep concern and active cooperation for our humble efforts to modernize our archives. Thanks you very much.

Archival Training Course of the G.A.R.S.