Define a set of long term national priorities acceptable to all institutional actors beyond the five-year political cycle. Policy development and formulation in Korea may face low levels of transparency, lack of consistency, institutional competition between political parties and lack of internal collaboration. While these features are not unique to Korea, limited collaboration spills over public administration, undermining the co‑ordination required for successful policy implementation. Charting a clearer way forward to show strategic policy directions in the future, as well as promoting collaboration between government agencies and between government and citizens – would help to anticipate and respond to growing citizens’ expectations and maximise the outcome of public policies. Collectively defining a set of long term key priorities that are acceptable to all institutional actors beyond a political cycle will help advancing towards a more stable, collaborative and transparent policy making environment, crucial for developing institutional trust among stakeholders3 This could be done by strengthening the role and resources devoted to forward planning and ensuring that it reflects into government priorities.

Review and adjust risk management frameworks. Korea has developed a comprehensive all-hazard national strategy for critical risk governance. However, the disasters that occurred over the past years revealed gaps in crisis management and lack of coordination among the institutions in charge and across levels of government. Reviewing and adjusting the risk management frameworks will help manage novel types of crises. Local response units should be equipped and empowered to deal with a crisis as it unfolds, combined with the capacity to co-ordinate among different sectors, and to integrate new stakeholders for coping with all foreseeable and unforeseeable hazards. Enhanced emergency planning and simulation exercises, reviewing the functioning of the multi-hazard warning systems and implementing modernised crisis communication tools are also potential areas of development.

Build public sector innovation capacity by promoting a flexible environment coupled with an appropriate mix of skills. Public sector innovation can help build public trust by anticipating and developing new services that respond to emerging needs. The Government Innovation Strategy enacted by the Korean government provides a unique opportunity for upgrading diversity and skills in the civil service, involving people in the co-creation of services, revising and updating processes, allowing room for experimentation and encouraging culture change within government organisations. Bringing into the civil service people with experience in applying innovative approaches and providing training to civil servants in policy experimentation for testing new solutions to public challenges could help create an ecosystem that supports innovation.

Refine integrity framework to boost the credibility and legitimacy of government institutions at the highest level. Overall, key elements of a sound integrity system are in place in Korea, both in the legal framework and in implementation. In the context of a strong values-oriented culture, there are few cases of corruption in service provision, administrative transactions and in core government processes. Koreans’ concerns about integrity are related to the risk of policy capture and potential conflict of interest between the public and the private sectors at the highest levels, notably the chaebol (large family-based business groups). Ensuring that leaders adhere and act according to core public values and guaranteeing the implementation of existing and planned safeguards for avoiding conflict of interests is crucial for improving trust.

Move from consultation to meaningful engagement. The Korean public administration has articulated extensive detailed rules to engage citizens and key public and private stakeholders in the public life of the country and its long term development. As such the government has given a high priority to transparent government information, digital government and open government data. Yet, despite good intentions, involvement of stakeholders on primary laws and subordinate regulations often occurs at a late stage. Engaging more actively and early on in the process would provide citizens with a sense that their voices are being heard and greater ownership over policy choices. When citizens are given meaningful opportunities to express themselves (e.g. active consultation and feedback incorporation) they are less likely to engage in adversarial relations with government (e.g. demonstrations) and would privilege collaborative approaches in their relation with public institutions. The deliberative consultation exercise regarding the construction of nuclear power plants in 2017 is an example of an action in this direction.

Address concerns over fairness in the distribution of burdens, opportunities and rewards across social groups and geographic locations. Strong economic growth in Korea over the past fifty years has benefited the country as a whole, yet has left a number of disparities and gaps. There is a growing perception of a skewed distribution of burdens and rewards among members of society, and that vulnerable groups such as women, youth and the elderly might be left behind and, based on their socioeconomic status, people might be treated unevenly in education, employment, and service provision. Ensuring fairness and solidarity as core social norms, embedded in the pursuit of growth, provision of quality public services, equality of opportunities, would boost inclusiveness and well-being in Korea and could have positive implications for trust.