Clarification: NCRC Is A South Korean Public Institution.

Posted to Paperslip on September 23rd, 2025.
Thank you to a Paperslip Contributor for the link.
Translation via ChatGPT.
Some BOLDS ours.

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Paperslip Note:

Please note that throughout the site, we have colloquially referred to NCRC (The National Center for the Rights of the Child) as a S. Korean Government Agency. However, strictly speaking, NCRC is apparently a Public Institution rather than an Agency. We use the term “Agency” in a colloquial (common use) sense, and not in a legal sense. We are not going to go through the entire site and change the word “Agency” to “Public Institution” — so this information is just an FYI for those who are concerned with the strict legal definition of what NCRC is.

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Source: Namu Wiki

Please note we have included a translation of the Overview only. To read the entire page about Public Institutions in Korea, please click the Namu Wiki link above (Korean).

Public Institution
Last modified: 2025-09-16 19:48:33

“1. Overview

A public institution refers to a government-related organization or body that operates not for private (individual) interests but for the public good. Most are independent legal entities, but in some cases, they may be a part of another legal entity (a public institution), rather than being independent themselves.[^1]

In a broader sense, the term "public institution" can include not only those organizations described in this document but also all entities and personnel that carry out public functions—such as the executive branch (the Blue House, ministries/agencies and their affiliated bodies), the legislative and judicial branches (National Assembly, courts, and their affiliated or associated institutions), and local administrative bodies (provincial and municipal governments, town offices, etc.). In general, the scope defined by the Act on Disclosure of Information by Public Agencies encompasses the broader meaning of public institutions.[^2]

However, this document focuses on the narrower definition of public institutions—that is, those defined in a dictionary or legal context. This includes state-owned enterprises, local public enterprises, quasi-governmental agencies, other public institutions, as well as institutions like the Financial Supervisory Service, the Bank of Korea, KBS (Korean Broadcasting System), and EBS (Educational Broadcasting System). (Although the Bank of Korea, KBS, and EBS are excluded from the Act on the Management of Public Institutions—commonly referred to as the Public Institution Management Act—and thus are not legally considered public institutions, they carry characteristics of one.)

The scope mainly refers to public institutions under the jurisdiction of the government as defined by the Public Institution Management Act, and local public enterprises as defined by the Local Public Enterprises Act.”