다산 공직윤리의 핵심가치 연구- 『牧民心書』의 「律己」･「奉公」･「愛民」을 中心으로 -

Abstract

The probity of public officials symbolizes the strength of a nation. Corruption or the lack of discipline among public officials weakens national competitiveness, hinders economic growth, and fosters social unrest. Corruption among public officials not only diminishes the country's reputation internationally but also causes internal division and conflict between social classes. What is the state of public ethics in Korea today? According to a 2023 survey by Transparency Korea, it is alarming that the Office of the President, the highest authority in the country, and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, the agency responsible for overseeing anti-corruption efforts, received the lowest scores in transparency evaluations. This reflects a crisis within the public sector. The national corruption index and the credibility of public institutions ultimately start with each public official. In other words, the ethics of public offices require reflection from the officials leading the bureaucracy and individual self-reflection. Therefore, this study aims to examine(modern perspective) the ethics of an ideal public official through 『MokMinSimSeo(牧民心書)』 written by Dasan Jeong Yak-yong(茶山 丁若鏞) during the late Joseon(朝鮮) Dynasty, in a time of social unrest and poverty that he personally witnessed. The reason why Dasan(茶山)’s philosophy on governance is viewed as an ideal solution to today’s public ethics crisis is that his approach to being a public official is regarded as a universal value that transcends time. The solution of public ethics issue is an individual ethics of public official, responsibility of expert worker, administrator’s role of love for the people.