The “No Communication” move of the Park’s transition team doesn’t seem to get improved. Park is still insisting her “do-it-myself” style and the sealed briefing of Yoon chang-jung, the spokesperson of the transition team, is still content-less. We can easily notice this by seeing the public criticism against their continuous failure of the personnel appointment and the “no communication” style.
The Center for Freedom of Information (CFOI) wanted to check what kind of tasks the transition team is doing. In order to check this indirectly, we have requested information disclosure to 46 central government agencies regarding the list of public documents they received from the transition team. We requested this to central government agencies since the object of the information disclosure not only covers the documents produced inside the institution but also the ones being preserved and administered in the institution after receiving from outside.
<Information Request>
We request information disclosure regarding the list of documents received from the transition team for the 18th president between Jan 6, 2013 and Jan 16, 2013. Please include the received date, document number, title, disclosure/nondisclosure (reasons), document type(paper, electronic file), To, From, drafter etc.
Having seen the result, however, levels of the disclosure was widely different. While some disclosed all what it was requested, others even kept the list of documents secret. One of the answers we received stated that the name of the person responsible for the task is classified as personal information and therefore it cannot be disclosed. There were also some cases that postponed disclosing information.
Institution |
Answer |
Reason (applicable sub-paragraph in Article 9 (1) of the Freedom of Information Act |
The Board of Audit and Inspection |
Disclosed |
|
Korean Government Personal Information Protection Commission |
Nonexistent |
X |
Korean National Police Agency |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Employment and Labor |
Disclosed |
|
Fair Trade Commission |
Disclosed |
|
Korea Customs Service |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology |
Partly Disclosed |
6 |
National Science & Technology Commission |
Partly Disclosed |
6 |
Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs |
Disclosed |
|
Prime Minister’s Office |
Disclosed |
|
Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of Korea |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of National Defense |
Postponed |
The briefing on the request is under process |
National Tax Service |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs |
Undisclosed |
5 |
Financial Services Commission |
Disclosed |
|
Korea Meteorological Administration |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Strategy and Finance |
Disclosed |
|
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries |
Undisclosed |
5 |
Rural Development Administration |
Undisclosed |
5 |
the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office |
Transfer |
Ministry of Justice |
Cultural Heritage Administration |
Immediately Disclosed |
|
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
Disclosed |
|
The National Unification Advisory Council |
Immediately Disclosed |
X |
Korea Communications Commission |
Postponed |
Need to hear the opinion of the public institution which produced the information |
Defense Acquisition Program Administration |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Justice |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Government Legislation |
Disclosed |
|
Military Manpower Administration |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Health & Welfare |
Partly Disclosed |
6 |
Korea Forest Service |
Disclosed |
|
National Emergency Management Agency |
Disclosed |
|
Korea Food & Drug Administration |
Undisclosed |
5 |
Ministry of Gender Equality & Family |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade |
Postponed |
More time needed |
Nuclear Safety and Security Commission |
Partly Disclosed |
Article 5 (1) Public Records & Archives Management Law 20 (1) |
Public Procurement Service |
Disclosed |
|
Small and Medium Business Administration |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Knowledge Economy |
Postponed |
An inquiry commission to be held |
Statistics Korea |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Unification |
Disclosed |
|
Office of Minister for Special Affairs |
Partly Disclosed |
|
Korean Intellectual Property Office |
Undisclosed |
2, 5 |
Korea Coast Guard |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Public Administration and Security |
Disclosed |
|
Multifunctional Administrative City Construction Agency |
Disclosed |
|
Ministry of Environment |
Disclosed |
The Ministry of National Defense, Korea Communications Commission, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy postponed deciding whether to disclose or not. The Supreme Public Prosecutors Office passed the request to the Ministry of Justice saying that it is not their task.
It was following five institutions: Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Rural Development Administration, Korea Food & Drug Administration, Korean Intellectual Property Office that refused to provide the list of documents. Originally, the list of documents is one of the information that requesting for information disclosure is not necessary since it is supposed to be published on the website. Even this type of basic information was undisclosed. They are not even complying with the minimum guideline of the information disclosure.
Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, National Science & Technology Commission, Ministry of Health & Welfare, Nuclear Safety and Security Commission and Office of Minister for Special Affairs made secret the names of senders who sent the document from the transition team. (The Nuclear Safety and Security Commission undisclosed the data saying that “On-Nara’s Electronic files of the list does not include names of senders”)
Some institutions deliberately excluded the names and claimed it as a “full disclosure”.
Of course, the names of individuals are the objects of the nondisclosure. However, this is only applicable when they are pure “individuals”. The act on information disclosure clearly states that the name of the public official responsible for the task should be disclosed. It is possible to say that they are disregarding the information disclosure act.
Even the central government agencies are covering it up for the transition team and its relevant information. It seems that the transition team became a sanctuary for the closed information.
The transition team’s lack of communication is spreading to the central government agencies as well. The upcoming 5 years look bleak as this might be the picture of the Park’s government.