The result of the Center of Freedom of Information (CFOI)’s request of
information disclosure to the National Assembly revealed that economics,
humanities and sociology research societies and their related government think
tanks are wasting the budget with business class airline seats. This issue has
been pointed out as a main cause for wasting financial resources as there are
numerous institutions that do not even have criteria for using the business
class and the positions available for the business class even covers general
research fellows. According to the data disclosed by the National Assembly, the
overseas travel expenses for the economics, humanities and sociology research
societies and their related government think tanks are 8.476 billion won in
2013, down 90 million won from 2012 but up 2 billion won from 2011.
[2013 Overseas Travel Expense Budget for Research Societies
and Research Institutes]
(Unit: million, %)
|
Type |
Final Accounts 2011 |
Budget (A) 2012 |
Budget (B) 2013 |
Variation |
|
|
(B-A) |
(B-A)/A |
||||
|
Overseas Travel Expenses |
6,422 |
8,574 |
8,476 |
△98 |
△1.1 |
[Criteria of boarding business class and number of
boarding]
(Unit: Person)
|
Name of Institutes |
Criteria of Boarding Business Class |
Number of boarding |
|||
|
Position |
Flight Duration |
Location |
2011 |
2012 |
|
|
Science and Technology Policy Institute |
Executives (President) Vice President Senior Research Fellow |
– |
– |
2 |
2 |
|
Head of the department (excl. |
8 hrs + |
– |
– |
1 |
|
|
Korea Research Institute for Human Settlements |
President Vice President |
– |
– |
2 |
3 |
|
Architecture & Urban Research Institute |
President |
– |
– |
3 |
– |
|
Korea Institute for International Economic policy |
President Senior Research |
– |
– |
62 |
56 |
|
Research Fellow |
8 hrs + |
– |
|||
|
Senior Administrative Officer Senior Expert Member |
6 years + of experience in the corresponding position. 8 hrs + |
– |
|||
|
Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade |
President, Vice President |
– |
All |
9 |
18 |
|
Senior Research Fellow |
8 hrs + |
Region Ga∼Ra (* America, Europe, Middle East, Africa) |
|||
|
Research Fellow Chief Administrative Officer |
Head of the department 8 hrs + |
||||
|
Korea Energy Economics Institute |
President |
– |
– |
– |
3 |
|
Vice President |
– |
– |
1 |
2 |
|
|
Senior Research Fellow |
8 |
– |
7 |
9 |
|
|
Korea Information Society Development Institute |
President Head of the division Senior research Fellow |
8 |
– |
10 |
5 |
|
Korea Institute for National Unification |
President, Auditor Senior Research Fellow Chief Administrative Officer |
– |
– |
5 |
5 |
|
Korea Development Institute |
President Senior Research Fellow Research Fellow |
– |
– |
78 |
70 |
|
KDI School of Public Policy and Management |
Executive Vice president Head of the department Director of the headquarter Head of affiliated organizations Senior Research Fellow Research Fellow |
– |
– |
17 |
10 |
|
Korean Educational Development Institute |
President Senior Research Fellow |
– |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
6 |
7 |
|
Head of the department |
8 |
||||
|
Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation |
Executive Vice President Senior Research Fellow Head of the department (stated |
8 hrs + for Head of the department (stated by the organization regulation ) |
– |
2 |
1 |
|
The Korea Transportation Institute |
President Vice President Senior Research Fellow Head of the department (Partly applicable) |
– |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
10 |
7 |
|
– |
|||||
|
8 hrs + |
|||||
|
Korea Labor Institute |
President Head of the headquarter Senior Research Fellow |
– Twice per year One a year |
|
9 |
7 |
|
Korea Rural Economic Institute |
President Senior Research Fellow |
– |
– |
10 |
6 |
|
Research Fellow |
8 hrs + |
– |
|||
|
Korea Legislation Research Institute |
President |
– |
– |
4 |
4 |
|
Senior Research Fellow Research Fellow Senior Administrative Officer |
8 hrs + |
– |
1 |
0 |
|
|
Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs |
President Vice President Senior Research Fellow |
President and Vice president – No criteria for the flight duration Senior Research Fellow – 8 hrs + |
– |
3 |
5 |
|
Korea Institute of Child Care and Education |
President Senior Research Fellow |
Flight duration regardless |
– |
1 |
2 |
|
Head of the department |
8 hrs |
||||
|
Korean Women’s |
President Vice President (an acting president) Senior Research Fellow (*Head of the department) |
– – 8 hrs + 8 hrs + |
– |
– |
– |
|
Korea |
Executive President, Head Senior Research Fellow |
– |
– |
23 |
18 |
|
Research Fellow Director of the Office of Administration Director of Audit |
8 hrs + (economy class applied in case of 8 hrs -) |
– |
|||
|
Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education & Training |
President |
– |
– |
3 |
4 |
|
National Youth Policy Institute |
President Senior Research Fellow |
– |
– |
1 |
2 |
|
Head of the department |
8 hrs + |
– |
|||
|
Korea Maritime Institute |
President Vice President Senior Research Fellow |
– |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
26 |
13 |
|
Head of the department |
8 hrs + |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
|||
|
Korea Institute of Public Administration |
President |
– |
– |
19 |
14 |
|
Korean Institute of Criminology |
President Senior Research Fellow Head of the department |
8 hrs + for Heads of the department |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
18 |
14 |
|
Korea Environment Institute |
President, Vice President |
– |
Ga, Na, Da, Ra |
18 |
14 |
|
Senior Research Fellow Head of the department |
8 hrs + |
||||
– Source: the National Assembly
Having investigated the number of cases that the employees of
economics, humanities and sociology research societies and their related
government think tanks boarded the business class, the result showed that there
were 389 cases in 2011 and 351 cases by early October 2012. In general, the
business class costs more than 2.2 times of the economy class (Incheon –
Newyork).
However,
the moral hazard seems to be at its peak considering the fact that most of the
institutes provide business class seats to senior research fellows and research
fellows on top of the president. In particular, The Korea
Development Institute and Korea Institute for International Economic policy
have used the business class 148 and 118 times respectively throughout 2 years.
The Korea
Institute of Public Finance also has used 41 times. These institutes had no
criteria for locations in using the business class and they made it possible
for everyone in the position of the research fellow to use the business class.
On the contrary the institutes that only allowed the president and vice
president to use the business class have less cases of the business class
usage.
Even the National Assembly said that “When there is a
big difference among the institutes in the criteria of positions and using
conditions of boarding the business class in case of the business trips abroad,
it may cause a problem of fostering an atmosphere of social disharmony and
reduce job satisfaction. As for the institutes that have set loose criteria on
positions and using conditions, it is highly likely to waste money because the
expenses for overseas flights are allocated too much compared to that of the
government, public institutions and other government think tanks.
Park, the
presidential elect, has instructed to reduce the budgets of each government
department in order to secure resources for the welfare. But seeing at the current
state of researchers’ business class usage makes us realize how they
splurge our taxes. Lately there was a story of an old man who died after
sleeping without turning on the heater. It is doubtful whether the research
fellows can study the lives of commoners while using the business class. This
kind of practice should certainly disappear in our society.