Agency helps export 'administrative hallyu'

Charles Okello, second from left on front row, chief Administrative Officer of Soroti District of Uganda, poses with another Ugandan delegation and Sung Keuk-je, center, a professor at Kyung Hee University after a class on capacity building in local administrations at the university, in Seoul, Tuesday. / Courtesy of LGODI

By Shim Jae-yun

Adding to the conventional concept of hallyu (the Korean wave) like K-pop and K-drama, a government agency is promoting the so-called “administrative hallyu” to help less developed countries learn the advanced administrative system of Korea.

Toward that end, 17 high ranking officials from Ugandan provincial governments are visiting here at the invitation of the Local Government Officials Development Institute (LOGODI), under the umbrella of the Ministry of Security and Public Administration.

LOGIDI is carrying out the project as part of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in conjunction with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The Ugandan officials arrived here on April 21 for three weeks and will engage in various programs focusing on provincial administration, budgeting and farm development.

They will also learn about the electronic administrative system featuring one-stop services for citizens.

“They will have chances to explore the e-government system which ranked first in an assessment by the United Nations for two consecutive years,” said Ha Sang-woo, an official responsible for international training at LOGODI.

The African officials will also visit Park Chung-hee Saemaeul Graduate College in Yeungnam University to learn about the reformative campaign initiated by former President Park.

They plan to apply the nation’s development model for their provinces in Uganda. LOGIDI has been conducting the program since 1996, for Bangladesh in early April, and Indonesia and Sri Lanka in March this year.

Regarding the meaning of the program, Samuel Eitu, head in charge of human resources development at the Ministry of Local Government, said, “Given the lack of capability of provincial officials in Uganda, such a program has greatly helped them. LOGODI President Rheem Chae-ho expressed hopes that the current program will help spread the nation’s and maturity.

Uganda has also been maintaining close ties with North Korea since they set up diplomatic relations in March, 1963. After severing ties in 1964, they resume relations in 1972.