[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] One of the changes that have appeared in the government and the National Assembly due to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is the renaissance of 'Task Forces (TF)'. From social structural issues such as single-person households and jobs for people in their 40s to external shocks like infectious diseases and even the small but certain happiness of the people, the trend of managing everything through TFs is spreading like a fad.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance, which comprehensively oversees the national budget, is a representative 'TF-rich' organization. According to data submitted by the Ministry of Economy and Finance to Jang Hye-young, a member of the Justice Party belonging to the Planning and Finance Committee, as of the end of August, there are 12 various TFs organized within the Ministry. These include single-person household policy, population policy, jobs for people in their 40s, structural innovation, contract system innovation, public demand discovery, post-COVID economic and industrial sectors, social economy related ministries, bio-industry innovation, service industry innovation, top 10 regulatory improvements, and legal and institutional reforms. Adding to these are recently organized TFs related to nationwide employment insurance, essential workers, housing supply, and the Korean New Deal, which emerged in response to issues arising after the COVID-19 outbreak, bringing the total close to 20. More than half of these TFs are chaired by Kim Yong-beom, the First Vice Minister, with some currently paused and others ongoing.
The atmosphere within the ruling party is similar. Currently, the Democratic Party of Korea operates about 40 TFs, standing special committees, and emergency special committees. These include the 'Small but Certain Happiness Committee (So-hwak-haeng Committee)' for promoting reform tasks in people's daily lives and the 'Future Housing Promotion Team' dealing with real estate supply, taxation, and market responses.
TFs are a type of project team commonly seen in private companies. Within government organizations where functions and authority are distributed by department, TFs are often organized to clarify responsibility and performance and maximize work efficiency. However, TFs are not regular organizations, and all members have their original positions elsewhere. They are arbitrarily formed when condensed discussions are needed in urgent situations and should be disbanded once the problem is resolved. The fact that the term comes from a military term referring to a mobile unit performing special missions or operations indicates that 'wartime' is the original context.
If no flags are planted, it is difficult to know where the important places are. However, if flags proliferate, it takes all day just to plant and remove them, let alone grasp the core issues.
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