Government Organization Reorganized into '18 Ministries, 3 Offices, 19 Agencies, and 6 Committees'
New 'Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters' Established within Ministry of Health and Welfare
National Veterans Affairs Office Elevated to National Veterans Affairs Department... Overseas Koreans Office Established under Foreign Minister
Space Aviation Agency and Immigration and Migration Management Agency to Be Established within the Year
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The government plans to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and transfer its functions to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, elevate the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans, and establish a new 'Overseas Korean Affairs Office' under the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Accordingly, the government organization is expected to be reorganized from 18 ministries, 4 offices, 18 agencies, and 6 committees to 18 ministries, 3 offices, 19 agencies, and 6 committees.
On the 6th, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min announced this government organization reorganization plan at the Government Seoul Office.
The government aims to establish a comprehensive support policy system for socially vulnerable groups such as children, adolescents, and the elderly, and to reorganize the gender equality policy system to realize a truly gender-equal society. In addition, it plans to strengthen the system for honoring national veterans and supporting discharged soldiers to build an advanced veterans system befitting the nation's dignity, and actively support the marginalized overseas Korean communities in line with the country's elevated national status.
Minister Lee said, "The government announced the government organization reorganization plan after high-level ruling party meetings and explanations to opposition parties on the 3rd," adding, "We will actively work to ensure that the amendment to the Government Organization Act reflecting this plan is processed during the regular National Assembly session."
The government will first abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and transfer the functions of 'Youth and Family,' 'Gender Equality,' and 'Rights Promotion' to the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Within the Ministry of Health and Welfare, a new 'Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters' will be established to oversee comprehensive life-cycle policies for population, family, children, youth, and the elderly, as well as gender equality and rights promotion functions. The 'Women’s Employment' function will be transferred to the Ministry of Employment and Labor for integrated employment support.
Minister Lee explained the rationale for the reorganization, saying, "Performing tasks for specific groups such as women and youth made it difficult to promote comprehensive social policies across the entire life cycle, causing functional overlaps between ministries and inefficiencies in government operations. In response to environmental changes, we will shift the paradigm of women's policy to gender equality and protect socially vulnerable groups from a comprehensive social policy perspective."
He added, "The position of the head of the Population, Family, and Gender Equality Headquarters will be set at the same level as the current head of the Trade Negotiation Headquarters, which is between minister and vice minister level, to ensure no hindrance to policy promotion and external negotiation capabilities."
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will be elevated to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans. The plan is to promote comprehensive and systematic veterans policies and strengthen the status of the national veterans system. Once elevated, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans will have enhanced authority as a cabinet-level ministry, including departmental authority, independent ministerial decree authority, and the right to attend Cabinet and related ministerial meetings. The government also plans to strengthen the organization and functions necessary to fulfill its role as a ministry-level agency.
Minister Lee said, "National veterans affairs are the cornerstone of realizing liberalism, a core value of the Republic of Korea, and a century-long plan to inherit a proud history and lead national integration," adding, "We will establish a solid veterans system so that veterans and their families can take pride in it, as a government that values veterans more than any previous administration."
A new 'Overseas Korean Affairs Office' will be established under the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and an 'Overseas Korean Policy Committee' will be set up within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to strengthen policy coordination functions. The Overseas Korean Affairs Office will integrate the overseas Korean policy functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the project functions of the Overseas Korean Foundation, providing one-stop civil services such as consular, legal, and military service in cooperation with related ministries. The Overseas Korean Policy Committee will oversee the establishment of mid- to long-term policy directions and coordinate overseas Korean policies through inter-ministerial collaboration.
Minister Lee said, "With the overseas Korean population reaching 7.32 million, there is a need for a comprehensive and systematic response to the raised expectations of the overseas Korean community and generational changes," adding, "We will strengthen support policies for overseas Koreans and provide one-stop civil services such as consular, legal, and military services, and enhance various exchange and cooperation functions."
Meanwhile, the 'Space Aviation Agency,' which was not addressed in this reorganization plan, will have its establishment plan prepared within the year, and the 'Immigration and Migration Management Agency' will also be promoted by preparing a reasonable plan within the year through collecting opinions from various sectors.
Minister Lee explained, "For the Space Aviation Agency, we will prepare an establishment plan within the year reflecting the special characteristics of an expert organization in space aviation and promote its establishment by enacting a separate law based on this," adding, "The Immigration and Migration Management Agency will be promoted through diverse discussions and opinion collection from experts and various sectors."
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