Most Mentioned in 84 National Assemblies... Digital 53 Times, Companies 50 Times
Start of National Task Selection... Gauging Key Words for Policy Direction
Final National Task Plan to Be Confirmed on the 25th of Next Month
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyemin] The most frequently mentioned key words in the government ministry work reports presented by the Presidential Transition Committee (Transition Committee) were ‘people, digital, and enterprises.’ There is a growing possibility that national policy tasks will be concretized around these keywords.
According to an analysis by Asia Economy of the Transition Committee’s work report briefings conducted from the 22nd to the 29th with 53 organizations, the most frequently mentioned word was ‘people,’ appearing a total of 84 times. The word ‘people’ was often used in conjunction with words such as participation, experience, and minimizing burden. This is interpreted as meaning that the people are being considered in the process of concretizing policies. President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol ordered at the day before’s secretariat meeting, “Please base national policy tasks on pragmatism and the interests of the people.”
In setting major directions such as unification, public participation was emphasized. A representative example is the Ministry of Unification’s work report, where various public and international community participation plans for promoting unification measures were discussed. In the economy and employment sectors, measures that the public can feel were emphasized. In pursuing future-oriented policies such as carbon neutrality, the Transition Committee members also urged that the burden on the people must be considered simultaneously.
‘Digital’ was mentioned 53 times, second only to ‘people.’ The intention to prepare to seize digital hegemony was confirmed throughout the work reports. In the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s work report, plans to innovate the labor market and cultivate digital talents suitable for the digital era were discussed, and the Ministry of Science and ICT addressed fostering digital core industries such as 5G and 6G as a major agenda.
It is also notable that the digital policy direction is being applied across all ministries and agencies. At the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s work report session, plans to establish a national disaster management system utilizing digital technology were presented. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries also reported plans to promote digital transformation in the marine and fisheries sector, such as digital coastal disaster forecasting and warning, aiming to secure market leadership. The Military Manpower Administration and Board of Audit and Inspection also mentioned implementing digital military administration and building digital platform audits. Under the goal of realizing a digital platform government, the Transition Committee has also established a related task force (TF).
The word ‘enterprise’ was mentioned 50 times. Words such as innovation (49 times), regulation (27 times), and growth (18 times) were also frequently mentioned, all closely related to enterprises. Most statements related to enterprises led to corporate regulatory reform and easing corporate burdens. The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy reported regulatory reform plans guaranteeing free corporate activities as one of its five major strategies.
Among pressing issues, ‘COVID-19’ was mentioned most frequently (35 times). Work reports mainly focused on identifying industries affected by COVID-19 (Ministry of Employment) and loss compensation for small business owners and self-employed persons, including supplementary budgets. At the national level, words related to North Korea, including inter-Korean and North-South relations, appeared 16 times, the most frequent, and mentions of Korea-US relations (2 times) exceeded those of Korea-China and Korea-Japan. The words ‘jobs’ and ‘peace,’ which were most frequently used during the Moon Jae-in administration, appeared only 15 times and once, respectively.
Based on the discussions in the work reports, the Transition Committee plans to select national policy tasks by distinguishing between priority tasks and key core tasks. The review of tasks by sector was completed by this day, with the first selection scheduled for the 4th of next month, the second selection on the 18th, and the final plan on the 25th. The national policy tasks are expected to be announced on the 9th of the same month after the President-elect’s report on May 2.
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