박근혜 정부 철도정책에 대한 비판적 검토 : 수서발 KTX 논란을 중심으로

Structural reform of Korean railway has been lasted since Rho Tae-woo administration in the name of deficit elimination and enhancement of effectiveness. Under Rho Moo-hyun administration in 2005, the structure was overhauled as a vertical separation-public own type under which public sector owned both of infrastructure manager(Korea Rail Network Authority) and railway undertaking(KORAIL), but the two sectors were separated as a completely independent organization. Lee Myung-bak administration pushed forward railway privatization again, which Kim Dae-jung administration had tried, to restructure the operation of KTX departing from Suseo to vertical separation-transfer type under which private capital had the right of management. However, as the railway privatization policy of Lee Myung-bak administration has caused a lot of controversy, Park Geun-hye administration announced it would push ahead a railway competition system between KORAIL and the subsidiary Suseo KTX line instead of the railway privatization. In other words, it ostensibly announced to maintain the vertical separation- public own type, the railway restructuring model which was established under Rho Moo-hyun administration. But, 1) the railway industry development policy that Park Geun-hye administration aims at seeks for competition, opening and division, etc. which lay foundation for privatization. 2) It presses ahead the policy in spite of a lot of errors in the grounds and effectiveness of carrying out the railway competition system. 3) Unlike the claim of the government, the subsidiary Suseo KTX line can sell stocks and thus civilians can obtain the right of management because it is established as a corporation. 4) The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, the department in charge of railway, has continuously pushed ahead the railway privatization. When all above grounds are put together, in the long term, there is a concern that the policy of Park administration can be developed sufficiently into the railway privatization of vertical separation-transfer type which Lee Myung-bak administration pushed ahead.