Korean Government Publications: An Introductory Guide

Citation

Feng, M. (2002), "Korean Government Publications: An Introductory Guide", Collection Building, Vol. 21 No. 1, pp. 45-47. https://doi.org/10.1108/cb.2002.21.1.45.1

No one is more fitting than Myoung Chung Wilson, an information services librarian at Rutgers University, to author this book. Her intimate knowledge of Korean culture and excellent command of the Korean language enables her to make on‐the‐spot research by visiting the Korean Government Publishing Office and various Korean libraries which hold government publications. Her rich experience working as a reference and government documents librarian in a large public research university in the USA helps her to dig deeply, picking and choosing wisely from the wealth of Korean government publications those items “that are of particular value to researchers, decision makers, and the library community”.

Korean Government Publications consists of seven chapters and seven appendixes. Apart from a brief chapter defining the scope of the book and explaining the rationale for the organization of the titles selected for inclusion the author analyzes the three stages in the development of Korean official publishing since 1948 (Chapter 3) and gives several suggestions and recommendations for future research to enhance access to Korean Government publications (Chapter 7). The remaining chapters are all devoted to Korean Government publications themselves: Chapter 2 is a brief overview of official publishing prior to 1948; Chapters 4 and 5 are annotated lists of official publications from the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the Korean Government as well as from selected government‐funded enterprises and government‐related agencies, and Chapter 6 introduces some electronic information resources and related products provided by government agencies.

The stated purpose of the book “is to serve as an introduction for English‐speaking audiences to current government publications”. Myoung Chung Wilson definitely has succeeded in her effort. The titles are well selected, well organized and well focused. The annotations are clear and concise, and in many cases also indicate whether the annotated publication is available in English or on CD‐ROM, thus making the book more user‐friendly.

The information in the book is as up to date as any book can be, as large portions of the titles are selected from the 1997 and 1998 Catalog of Government Publications. But the list of Web sites for Korean national government and government‐funded enterprises and government‐related agencies, as contained in Appendix 5, have made the book more attractive because they help readers keep abreast of the most current Korean Government publications.

For reasons beyond the author’s control, the book seems a little weak on government publications in North Korea. Nevertheless, Korean Government Publications is indeed a valuable compendium that is highly recommended for researchers and institutions interested in modern South Korea, particularly in its science, education, history, politics and social and economic development.