This research investigates the internal and external crises currently facing the Korean military, such as the shortage of military resources and the decline in public trust following the December 3rd martial law incident. The study suggests that the r...
This research investigates the internal and external crises currently facing the Korean military, such as the shortage of military resources and the decline in public trust following the December 3rd martial law incident. The study suggests that the root cause of these problems lies in the weakening of "Public Service Value" among military officers and a crisis in their "Professional Identity" based on military professionalism. To overcome these issues, this study proposes the concept of Public Leadership as a new alternative for military leadership that fulfills public responsibility under the principle of civilian control. Public Leadership aims to realize public values and interests rather than private ones, making it the most suitable model for internalizing the constitutional duties required of military officers.
However, existing research on Public Leadership has not yet been established as an independent field and mostly applies general business leadership theories to the public sector, failing to reflect the unique characteristics of the military. Therefore, this study set two main goals: first, to build a conceptual framework and define "Officer Public Leadership" by reflecting general public values and the core values of each military branch; and second, to develop a "Public Leadership Competency Model" as a practical way to overcome the identity crisis of officers.
To achieve these goals, the study used qualitative research methods, including a Systematic Literature Review and an expert Delphi survey. First, the researchers applied Walker & Avant’s concept analysis method to domestic and international literature to identify the attributes, components, and competency indicators of Public Leadership. Based on these findings, they conducted a three-round Delphi survey with 14 leadership experts from both inside and outside the military. This process involved an open-ended survey in the first round, content validity (CVR) testing in the second, and a final consensus to confirm the core competencies in the third.
Through this process, the study successfully defined Officer Public Leadership and created a practical competency model for overcoming the current crisis. The results are expected to provide theoretical and practical insights for reestablishing the professional identity of officers and building a leadership education system based on public service values. Furthermore, this model can serve as a key link that organically connects the core values of each military branch with their leadership systems. While this study was limited in its scope regarding the development of a specific scale to measure these leadership competencies, it suggests that future research should focus on creating diagnostic tools and education programs to further develop the field of Public Leadership.