The Judiciary's Role in Good Governance in Korea

Abstract

This paper will focus on the role that the judiciary has played in improving public sector governance in Korea. It will argue that the increased level of enforcement has become a cornerstone for the consolidation of rule of law and good governance. The paper will concentrate particularly on enforcement through the level of judicial sentencing against senior public officials who have committed violations in two areas: campaign financing and election laws, and anti-corruption laws. The paper focuses on the judicial treatment that senior public officials such as National Assembly persons or senior bureaucrats have received under the legal system. In the end, the paper will offer some comparative lessons that can be learned from the Korean experience.