강원지역 NGO에 대한 신뢰 연구

A Study of NGOs Trust in Gangwon Province

The influence of NGOs is growing not only in the political arena but also throughout the society in general. As the functions and roles of NGOs are becoming more specialized now than ever, the organizations are now being assessed as entities that bring the nation and citizens together. Along with such positive reviews, there exists a negative view toward NGOs activities in general as well as the skepticism toward their authorities. Although the number of NGOs has increased and there are more NGOs active now than ever, there is a skeptical view that the citizens movements have been exaggerated in reality as the number of citizens participating in the movements is few, and that NGOs recent activities strongly indicate the displacement of their founding objectives. At this stage, it is important to approach the problems faced by NGOs by first asking how well NGOs are winning the trust of citizens. The issue is closely related to the survival and future of NGOs in Korea. What would happen to their stature and influence if the figures supporting NGO membership were false? As the academia points out on the issues of NGOs in Korea, the power of NGOs lies in their protective function against societal illnesses and corruptions, but it is also very important to determine whether the power actually comes from the citizens. This is necessary because the answer is directly related to the stature and identity of NGOs in Korea. The members of society must possess values that coincide with the objectives of NGOs for the organizations to maintain its activities and establish their stature. Without such a basis, NGOs will lose the trust of the citizens, thereby failing the basis for their existence. Thus, one needs to ask the citizens perception on matters relating to NGOs as well as their understanding of NGO members and their activities. If NGOs were to lose the trust of citizens or if they were to fail their expectation and trust, it would be possible for one to assess such status of Korean NGOs as a "civic movement without any substantial involvement of the citizens," and such an outcome can be used to explain the shortcomings of NGOs in part.