The age of fragmentation and ‘organizational internalities’
which led to severe system-wide coordination
problems, largely borne by measures including internal
markets, contract-out, privatization, and market testing,
were beginning to take tools on public sector since the
1980’s. In particular, with the disaggregation of the previously
centralized administrative structure and the
emergence of fragmented performance-centered units or
‘next-step agency’ types meant that some measures
aimed at reconfiguration of public sector was needed.
For instance, twenty three public agencies have been
designated as the Korean version of next-step agencies
since 2000 and this meant that public and political roles
had to blend in with other established agencies, raising
the need to coordinate activities of old and new agencies
in pursuit of similar public goals.