Rank-Oriented Disaster Management: The Korean Experience

ABSTRACT

Rank is the position or standing in the Korean field of disaster management, whereas ability is the competence or required proficiency in carrying out appropriate disaster management. This paper aims to examine the ways to improve emphasis on rank in Korea for the ultimate goal of increasing related productivity. A qualitative content analysis with the support of descriptive approach has been used as the main methodology. With respect to this, rank-oriented disaster management has been systematically compared with ability-oriented disaster management via the five stakeholders, namely the public officials, businessmen, researchers, volunteers, and local community. The key tenet is that the nation needs to change its current rank-oriented disaster management into ability-oriented disaster management as a form of cultural change. This paper, as a pioneer study, rigorously discusses the issue of rank versus ability in the Korean field of disaster management.

KEYWORDS:

• Bureaucracy
• Confucianism
• military culture
• ability-oriented disaster management
• cultural change

Declaration of Interest

The author declares that he has no conflict of interest.