Korean presidential archives system is based on the ‘integrative-type’ of presidential archives managing, preserving and utilizing records of past presidents by integrating them, and legally allows the establishment of individual presidential arch...
Korean presidential archives system is based on the ‘integrative-type’ of presidential archives managing, preserving and utilizing records of past presidents by integrating them, and legally allows the establishment of individual presidential archives adjunctively. Until now, however, there has not been the establishment of individual presidential archives.
Therefore, this study reviewed whether the establishment of individual presidential archives is suitable as an alternative to complement the organizational problems of Korean presidential archives and the structural problems of integrated-type presidential archives. The acceptance of individual presidential archives does not mean that the integrated presidential archives should be abolished or its role should be minimized. It aims to realize a coexistence system through mutual cooperation relations amid different roles and functions between integrated system and individual system.
Establishment of individual presidential archives can guarantee the autonomy about the presidential records management work, and also provide the institutional confidence to the president as the production subject of presidential records. Additionally, there are advantages of strengthening the responsibility for the protection of presidential records, providing convenience for former presidents to access to such records, personalizedly collecting individual president, expanding the meaning of presidential records, enhancing former presidents social roles, being as the user-centered archives, mutually growing with local areas. They are the characteristics which can not be realized in the administrative system of the current, integrated presidential archives.
Based on the recognization of such problems, this study conducted the analysis on domestic and oversea cases. Then this study proposed a solution of establishment of individual presidential archives suitable for Korean situations after analyzing operation cases of the U.S individual presidential archives and the Korean individual presidential records-related institutions.
The proposed improvement solution based on the ‘necessity of individual presidential archives’ and the ‘analyzed results of domestic and oversea cases’ was largely suggested from three aspects of the review of relevant laws and regulations, the roles distribution for a coexistence system and the proposal of various establishment types. This improvement solution will eliminate any procedural confusion during the process establishing individual presidential archives in the future, and will enable to establish various types of individual presidential archives.
Individual presidential archives should progressively accept users’ cultural demands, contrary to the existing system and should be settled as a daily life-closed institution. The ultimate goal of this study is for individual presidential archives to become a place where people of all walks of life can visit as a communication arena with citizens, no longer the place for a grand discourse and a political football game.