Drifting `Port Authority` in Pusan - Backlash of City and Civic Orgs.

As the government`s plan to establish the Port Authority (PA) in the Pusan harbor became obscure, the Pusan city government, the economic circles and the civic organizations have strongly urged the government to pursue the plan.

The Pusan city government and the organizations maintained that the establishment of the PA should be visible until the end of this year, saying that ``the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries has taken the passive attitude, because the curtailment of the scape of the organization will be inevitable if the PA is established``. They argued that the Pusan harbor is the only harbor with the international competitiveness, and thus the PA should be formed as soon as possible in order to keep Pusan`s position as the center of trade in the East Asian region from the competitors such as Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore.

The officials of the Pusan city, and 20 representatives from the economic organizations, the academic circle, the media group, and the civic organization had a meeting, urging the government for the prompt establishment of the PA. And 6 representatives including the administrative vice mayor Chon Jin, the executive vice mayor Oh Geo-Don, and prof. Park In-Ho explained the necessity of the establishment of the PA, visiting the Ministry of Planning & Budget, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries, and the Ministry of Finance and Economy on 26th.

And they plan to form `the Pusanians` committee to gain the autonomy of Pusan Harbor` and to push the government through various activities such as a large-scale rally. `The citizen group for loving the Pusan Harbor`, which is comprised of 50 civic organizations in Pusan, decided to hold the mass meeting to urge the government, and has reviewed the plan to block the harbor in case that the mass meeting will not work well.

The government announced the plan to establish two PAs in Pusan and Incheon which are able to operate independently from the central government on March, 1999. But as the different positions between the Ministry of Maritime Affairs & Fisheries and the related ministries have generated the conflict, the plan is unlikely to be executed even within this year.

The PA refers to the public organization in the form of a special corporation, whose head can execute independently the rights of personnel management and financial management. It aims at increasing the competitive edge by shifting from the governmental management to the corporation management system. Most of the world top 30 harbors are operating on the basis of the PA system.

Jo Young-Hwi silent@donga.com