Retooling Public Sector

After inauguration, all previous administrations unveiled comprehensive plans to restructure the public sector. But the entrenched inefficiencies and lax management ― which are often described as the elements that constitute this ''iron rice bowl’’ ― remain almost the same.

The Park Geun-hye administration is no exception. On Monday, the Ministry of Strategy and Finance announced a package of measures aimed at spurring public-sector reform under the principles of enhancing the ''efficiency, responsibility and transparency.’’ It remains to be seen, though, whether the reform measures will be carried out properly, given that little has been done despite much talk.

Under the five-year policy direction, the nation’s 295 public organizations, including 30 state companies, will be under the knife all the year round so that overlapping functions can be consolidated.

In order to keep unqualified people from taking posts in the public sector, the government will empower the nominee recommendation committee to have greater responsibility in selecting qualified candidates for heads or executives of public firms. This change is needed to uproot the old practice of ''parachute appointments’’ in which executives at public entities are selected according to their connections with high-ranking government officials and politicians, including the president.

It also seems appropriate and timely that the finance...