■ Chapter 01 | Introduction Global aviation trends towards liberalization, deregulation and privatization are causing increasingly fierce competition within the international air transport industry. To tide over the relevant difficulties, every nation is trying to improve the competitiveness of their aviation industries and airports. Korea is no exception. The nation has implemented various aviation policies, which led to changes in the structure of the administrative organization of aviation. The aviation-related administrative system in Korea is based on division of roles between the central government and specialized agency.The government has kept reducing its functions while maintaining its role in presenting major policies and directions. Policy execution and the implementation of regulatory measures have been carried out by dedicated organizations affiliated with the government. In particular, the government has established a separate organization devoted to safety regulations in order to ensure efficient implementation of pertinent regulatory measures that require professional expertise. Additionally, it is reinforcing the functions of agencies related to international affairs in an effort to facilitate cooperation with other countries in the field of aviation. Pushing for deregulation and privatization, the government is shifting its focus from direct regulations to oversight designed to ensure fair transactions. This study reviews Korea’s administrative and organizational systems related to airports, aviation safety and security, and air transportation. It also examines the possibility of pursuing appropriate organizational reform in response to changes in the aviation environment. First, this study reviews the history of the nation’s aviation-related administrative and organizational structures from 1946 up to the present. It can be summed up as follows; After Korea’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, administrative control over aviation was initially under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army. It was turned over to the Ministry of Transport that was launched with the establishment of the Republic of Korea in 1948. In 1994, the ministry merged with the Ministry of Construction to become the Ministry of Construction and Transportation. The government carried out the merger, citing the need for a small government as well as for resolution of traffic problems. In 2008, the ministry was reorganized into the Ministry of Land, Transport, and Maritime Affairs (MLTM), being charged with additional missions for managing national land and maritime resources as well as the nation’s economic infrastructure. In 2013, the ministry was restructured to become the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT), with its maritime affairs-related functions turned over to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. Second, this study examines the organizational changes made since the 1980s in relation to airport construction and operation systems. For some years after national liberation, most of the nation’s airfields were under the control of the U.S. Army and the Air Force. Administrative jurisdiction over the airfields was turned over to the Ministry of Transport in 1948 upon the establishment of the Republic of Korea. Later, the International Airport Authority was founded for effective operation of international airports. Eventually, it was restructured into two organizations ？ the Korea Airports Corporation and the Incheon International Airport Corporation. These two corporations are in charge of the management and operation of the nation’s airports (excluding military airports). In the 1980s, the nation saw a sharp rise in air traffic demand and rapid expansion of the aviation industry. These developments prompted the government to implement airport development projects. Consequently, Incheon International Airport has established itself as a major hub airport in Northeast Asia. Its success has been based on its excellent geographical location, advanced infrastructure, and extensive government support. The airport has achieved stellar performance, which earned it the honor of being rated the world’s best for nine years in a row in a global assessment of airport service quality. Third, this study reviews the changes made in the organizational structure since 2000 with respect to aviation security. Accident and emergency countermeasures had been the focus of Korea’s aviation safety policies until the nation underwent the ICAO aviation safety and security audit in the 2000s. The audit provided an opportunity for Korea to overhaul its aviation safety policies. The government thoroughly prepared for the audit, revising the pertinent laws such that they met international standards, establishing an independent aviation safety organization, and ensuring organic cooperation among the relevant government ministries. As a result, Korea achieved nearperfect scores in terms of implementing international standards, in the second ICAO aviation safety audit. Fourth, this study reviews the organizational changes made in relation to the operation of air transportation since 1988. In the 1980s, the nation saw a rapid rise in air traffic demand, following the liberalization of overseas travel and the hosting of the 1988 Olympics. In an effort to meet the growing demand for air travel, the government gradually lifted restrictions imposed on the domestic aviation industry. To ease entry restrictions in the aviation industry, the government changed the air transportation licensing system, and overhauled the airfare structure and the traffic rights allocation scheme. It also increased its support for low-cost airlines. ■ Chapter 02 | Development of the Korea's Aviation Organization □ Section 1 || Inception and Early Growth (Ministry of Transport: 1948-1993) The history of aviation administration in Korea dates back to 1946 when the Transport Department was established under the U.S. Government, which was ruling the southern half of the Korean Peninsula after Korea’s liberation from Japanese occupation. On Nov. 4, 1948, the department was reorganized into the Aviation Division within the Ministry of Transport’s Facilities Bureau under the first Republic of the Korea government. In April 1963, the ministry established the Aviation Bureau, citing the need to cope with civil aviation expansion and operational complexity involving military and civil aviation. In 1972, new divisions ？ aviation policy, air navigation, facility, communications, and electronics ？ were established within the Aviation Bureau. Responding to the growing importance of international affairs, the ministry set up the International Affairs Division in 1979. □ Section 2 || Mature Growth, a Leap Forward and Rapid Changes (Ministry of Construction and Transportation: 1994-2007) The government revised the Government Organization Act in December 1994, merging the Construction Ministry and the Transport Ministry to inaugurate the Ministry of Construction and Transport. The merger was designed to realize a small government, tackle traffic problems, and ensure effective infrastructure investment and operation. In 1995, the ministry dissolved the Airspace Division at the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration, and increased the number of air traffic controllers. In the ministry’s 1998 organizational reshuffle, six divisions were established within the Aviation Bureau: aviation policy, aviation safety, air traffic management, aviation technology, aviation facility, and international aviation. The restructuring led to the creation of 17 divisions at the Regional Aviation Administration: general affairs, accounting, security, air navigation, air traffic management, flight communications operation, airworthiness, inspection 1, inspection 2, civil engineering, architecture and equipment, electronics, electricity, management, facility, air traffic management, and oversight. The divisions within the Area Control Center were realigned into five categories: management, communications electronics, airspace, air traffic control, and aviation information. In 1999, the ministry realigned the functions of some divisions and affiliated organizations, and changed their names. Within the ministry, the Aviation Technology Division and the Aviation Facilities Division were renamed the Air Navigation Technology Division and the Airport Facilities Division, respectively. The Air Traffic Control, Aviation Inspection, and Aviation Facilities Bureaus of the Seoul Regional Aviation Administration were also renamed Air Traffic Communications, Aviation Safety, and Airport Facilities Bureaus, respectively. Branch offices were established at regional airports (Sokcho, Gangneung, Wonju, Gunsan, Cheongju, Jeju, Yeosu, Ulsan, Mokpo, Daegu, Yecheon, Pohang, Gwangju and Sacheon). In 2001, the ministry carried out an organizational reshuffle aimed at intensifying its functions related to aircraft safety. The restructuring led to the dissolution of the Aviation Safety and Navigation Technology divisions under the Aviation Bureau, and the creation of new divisions: Air Navigation, Airworthiness, Certification Management, and Accident Investigation. With the enforcement of the “Aviation Safety and Security Act” in 2002, the ministry’s Aviation Bureau took charge of affairs related to aviation safety and relevant technologies. In August 2002, the ministry established the Aviation Safety Headquarters, which was charged with the mission of preventing illegal activities within airports, navigation safety facilities, and airplanes, and ensuring the safety and security of civil aviation, in accordance with international conventions like the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The ministry placed regional aviation administrations under the control of the headquarters, thereby realigning the aviation-related organizational and administrative system. In June 2006, the government merged the Aviation Accident Investigation Board with the Railway Accident Investigation Board, launching the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board. □ Section 3 || Stable Growth (Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs: 2008-2012) In February 2008, the Ministry of Construction and Transport was replaced with the newly created Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (MLTM). This move was designed to more effectively implement national development projects by combining land/marine resources, development, and economic infrastructure support functions. The new ministry was established through integration of the Ministry of Construction and Transport with some segments of other ministries: the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (that handles maritime affairs, port construction, marine logistics, marine environment, and maritime police) and the Ministry of Public Administration and Autonomy (in charge of cadastral management and real estate information management). In May 2009, MLTM realigned its organizational structure for effective execution of national policy tasks, creating the Aviation Policy Office. The Aviation Safety Headquarters was abolished, with its main functions transferred to the Aviation Policy Office. □ Section 4 || A Second Leap Forward (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport:2013-present) In March 2013, MLTM was reorganized into the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport (MOLIT). MLTM’s ocean-related functions (except for those related to marine logistics, ports, and marine environment) were transferred to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (formerly called the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries). MOLIT was given the mission of ensuring future-oriented management of national land resources and building safe and convenient infrastructure and transport networks. It is composed of five offices, four bureaus, 16 sub-bureaus, and 80 divisions under the control of the ministrer and two vice ministers (with a total of 956 staff members).