Jeong Woo-taek, People Power Party Lawmaker, "Hope It Becomes an Opportunity to Break the Vicious Cycle in the Yoon Seok-yeol Government"
[Asia Economy Reporter Geum Bo-ryeong] It has been confirmed that 60,000 public officials have been transferred to different ministries due to government organizational restructuring over the past decade.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to Jeong Woo-taek, a member of the National Assembly's Administration and Security Committee from the People Power Party, the total number of personnel moved due to government reorganization and functional adjustments from 2013 to this year was 60,783.
In 2013, 37,646 people were transferred to other ministries due to government reorganization. With the revival of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, a total of 3,709 people moved from the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. Additionally, 33,404 people from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Communications Commission, and the Ministry of Education had their affiliations changed to the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
In 2014, following the Sewol ferry disaster, the Korea Coast Guard was disbanded and the Ministry of Public Safety and Security was newly established, resulting in 10,308 personnel transfers.
In 2017, after the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in administration and subsequent government reorganization, 11,516 people had their affiliations changed. The Ministry of Public Safety and Security was abolished after three years, with 706 people moving to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (disaster prevention, response, and recovery) and 612 people to the National Fire Agency (firefighting, rescue, and emergency medical services). With the reestablishment of the Korea Coast Guard, 9,416 personnel who had been under the Ministry of Public Safety and Security were transferred to the Coast Guard.
In 2020, to strengthen COVID-19 response capabilities, the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency was established, and 1,092 people moved from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to the new agency. Additionally, 53 people moved from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Communications Commission to the Personal Information Protection Commission. This year, due to the unification of water management, 168 people changed their affiliation from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to the Ministry of Environment.
Rep. Jeong criticized, "Except for cases essential to implementing national policies, if public officials’ affiliations change every time a new government is formed, efficiency in demonstrating expertise inevitably declines. This ultimately results in losses for the citizens receiving public services."
He added, "I hope the Yoon Seok-yeol administration will break this vicious cycle and maintain a continuous work environment so that skilled and experienced public officials can work professionally within their affiliated ministries and agencies."
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