Centralized land use planning of Korea toward decentralization

Typescript (photocopy).The purpose of the dissertation is that local autonomy is necessary for the physical development of Korea, where land use planning is highly centralized. A hierarchical structure of planning exists in the following legal order: comprehensive nationwide land use planning, comprehensive provincial land use planning, comprehensive county land use planning and urban planning. The urban plan, generally known as a municipal function in other countries, is determined by the national government in the legal sense. The national government monopolized most financial resources to implement the nationwide plan and invests in a few growth poles. To manage the land outside of the urban area, the national government instituted the comprehensive nationwide zoning, which is quite unusual in other countries. The centralized planning of Korea contributed to industrialization with centralized financial resources. However, provision of living facilities had to be postponed, and the population has concentrated in a few growth poles due to the regional gap, which caused Gwangjoo Riot, a threat to national unity. The Fifth Republic, inaugurated after the riot, prefers the redistribution or welfare policy to the growth policy. The welfare policy is manifested not only in the Constitution, but also in the Second Physical Land Development Plan, which adopts a concept of "Integrated Settlement Living Areas." To execute the concept of "Integrated Settlement Living Areas," however, it is essential to change the current centralized planning structure, because the central government cannot plan all the communities. Thus, for physical development it is a prerequisite to decentralize Korean land use planning through decentralized financial resources and public participation, which was proved possible in the Saemaul Undong (Korea's New Community Movement). In this context, local autonomy is recommended for the physical development of Korea