Kim Takes Care of Home Folks; More Top Aides Hail from Cholla

President Kim Dae-jung has been good to his old-home crowd, according to a report from the Civil Service Commission. Civil servants from Mr. Kim's home Cholla provinces occupy 27.3 percent of the influential positions in government agencies, more than twice as many as in the past.

The Kyongsang provinces, where previous presidents were raised, suffered a small decline in influential positions, from more than 40 percent to 38.4 percent.

The rivalry between the two regions has dominated Korean politics for four decades. All the country's presidents since the 1960s hailed from Kyongsang, including the authoritarian Park Chung-hee and the first civilian to be elected president, Kim Young-sam.

One of President Kim Dae-jung's campaign pledges was to relieve the tension between the two regions by making sure civil servants got their positions through a fair process regardless of their regional background.

The Civil Service Commission report said that 27.5 percent of senior and mid-level civil servants now call Cholla their home, while 32.3 percent are from Kyongsang. The National Statistics Office estimates that Cholla makes up 11.3 percent of the national population, while Kyongsang accounts for 28 percent.

The numbers reflect significant changes from previous administrations. Under the Kim Young-sam administration, for example, Cholla had 11 percent of the "influential" positions, to Kyongsang's 41.5 percent.

The Civil Service Commission said it will introduce new policy measures to make government appointments fair. It mentioned appointing public officials based on their achievements and adjusting pay schedules according to their productivity.

by Park Sung-woo