SEOUL -- You don't have to consult opinion polls to understand that in general terms South Koreans are not happy with their government. It is enough to occasionally read editorials or to engage in political discussions with Korean friends, colleagues and neighbors. Then you detect a very basic disenchantment with all those who govern -- or pretend to govern.

For obvious reasons the national media focus on the big national events, including the major scandals, and the verbal -- and sometimes physical -- clashes between the government camp and the opposition. The people are appalled to see how effectively the parties are immobilizing themselves. The reputation of the local governments, with few exceptions, is also very poor. Low voter turnouts in local elections are but one indicator of a crisis of local autonomy; another is the widespread popular contempt for elected local public officials. Obviously, South Korean politicians are not meeting the people's expectations.

Political reform, and also the reform of local politics in the sense of more local democracy, has been on the very top of the agenda of the Kim Dae Jung government since it took power nearly three years ago. Interestingly, the central government is now criticizing the local authorities for what it says is unsatisfactory performance. "We are facing many problems from our local authority system," Choi In Kee, the minister of government administration and home affairs, told me at a recent meeting.