JeJu Province Gets Greater
Administrative Leeway

By Deputy Gov. Kim Han-wook, in charge of Administration,
Jeju Provincial Government

The "blue ocean"competition to dominate the future is getting hot. State and local autonomous organizations are out to explore the market that no one has targeted through value reform. Competition in an open market is difficult. Even if you win, the size of a pie that you can get your hands on would not be as big as you expected.
The Jeju Province is the same. To say the island province meant tourism is not overstating. Now, the situation has changed. Other provinces have jumped into the competition knowing that the tourism industry is a growth area creating high value-added in the 21st century.
Jeju Island is faced with two steep walls more than any thing else. One is to revive its economy, which has been in the doldrums for the past several years. The other one is drawing up a long-range plan on which Jeju Island can rely its future with its tourism industry hitting the limit.
In order for simultaneous satisfaction of the problems, Jeju has been undertaking the international free city project from 2002. However, the project has succeeded in drawing the public attention, but has yet to succeed in attracting capital and commodities. Other free economic zones benchmarked and competed with Jeju, reducing the benefit from the early start of the project, which is why the island chose to change. The decision to change is not merely changing for the sake of change, but really revolutionary one. For a starter, we have changed the administrative structure, which sustained the Jeju government for the past 60 years. Furthermore, the island residents were allowed to express their choice through vote, unseen in the history of local autonomy in the country. From July 1, the Jeju Island will have a single wide-area local autonomous administration with four cities and counties integrated into two administrative cities. Mayors will be appointed under the change.
Through the readjustment of organization, and business areas, effectiveness and improved capacity along with changes and to enhance competitive power have begun to show up. But, our thirst has not yet ended. What we needed were different conditions and strategies rather than demanding better remunerations compared to other regions. We had to look at our future through a blue ocean view, and reformative thinking. It is not the market for 5 million tourists, but the market for 10 million tourists that fit our plate. The Jeju Special Autonomous Province was the decisive format, which will change every thing on the island except the residents and 'heavenly natural environment.'This is just like a saying, "changing every thing except your wife and children."The declaration of the Jeju Province Special Autonomy Law on Feb. 21 can be compared to the Jeju Province being established as a republic within the Republic of Korea. More specifically defined, Jeju will have all the administrative rights as an independent state except the diplomatic and defensive power and other basic rights controlled by the central government giving the birth to a small Republic of Korea. Jeju will be able to build an ideal autonomous and model municipality, with the unprecedented transfer of self-governing power from the central government. It will also build a global standard free market economy. In order to achieve all these, the central government has transferred self-governing rights to Jeju including those for organization, personnel and finance.
The special law provides for the rights to request for legislative actions, set the legal rates for local taxes to secure financial resources, and setting up the Jeju account for the special budget, which ensures the autonomous budget operation.
The law also specifies the autonomous operations of a special Jeju-type police force, and education systems, the rights for self-rule, including the relocation of the special national administrative organization, all intended to maximize the autonomous governing rights for the Jeju Province.
The law also includes the provision for strategic nurturing of the 4+1 core industry to develop the unique feature of the Jeju Province. The 4+1 core industry includes tourism, environment-friendly primary industry, and medicine to be developed in conjunction with the IT-BT high-tech industry.
The ultimate purpose of all these changes is to make the Jeju Island an international free city where people, goods and capital can move freely and doing business is easy. These all depend on the success of the Jeju special autonomous governing. One of the most effective ways of promoting the project is downing corporate tax rates, improvement of immigration procedures, and the reform of land use regulations and others to strengthen deregulation and investment incentives.
Of course, an excessive optimism is prohibited. In some part of the central government, the Jeju Province is being looked upon as a test case. But the province is looking at it as a chance. A true competitive strength comes out when a crisis is turned to a chance.
In reality, Jeju has few options for its future development. The island has 7,800 kinds of botanical resources with rare natural features and is a natural treasure awaiting to be registered as a world natural heritage. The Jeju Samda bottled water is among the 100 best brands in the country because of its popularity as a nature's gift to the island.
But, there is a limit to utilizing the island's natural endowment as it is. It needs a new approach. In this respect, the Jeju Special Autonomy is a very critical choice for the future of the residents. It is not in the way of the liberal opening of the country. Rather, it's role would be like the famous Turtle Boat when it is launched on July 1 amid the rising tides of globalization and liberalization. History is the witness. Some 2,000 years ago, Emperor Chin of China built the Great Wall and Rome built roads. The wall means closure and Emperor Chin's empire fell in three generations and Rome enjoyed its glory for 1,000 years.
The Jeju Special Autonomy is the road guiding Jeju residents to their future. But the future after 50 years and 100 years are important as well as the present time.
The road to make the autonomy task perfect would not always be easy. But there is a saying that starting is half of the work. Right now, the Jeju Province has taken the first step for industrial liberalization through the relaxation of regulations and the local autonomy for the first time in the nation's history.
Bismark said those who are afraid of fate would be eaten by it, while those who challenge it would not. Jeju residents lived challenging lives for over thousands of years and overcame them. They will this time, too.
There are difficult parts that cannot be achieved by Jeju residents and the Jeju Province alone no matter how hard they try.
Until the project is on the right track, it needs the support and cooperation from the central government, national attention and support and the positive participation of the people all across the country. nw