Increase in Senior Executive Service Personnel Expected Following Organizational Promotion
[Asia Economy Yang Nak-gyu, Military Specialist Reporter]Following the government organization restructuring plan, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is expected to be significantly expanded as it is upgraded to the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans.
On the 6th, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs issued a statement titled "We will serve and honor the patriotic families with a humbler attitude" and welcomed the upgrade to a ministry.
Although the head of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs currently holds a ministerial rank, becoming the Minister of Patriots and Veterans will make the position a Cabinet member with enhanced authority to attend related ministers' meetings. Currently, the head can attend and speak at Cabinet meetings but is not a Cabinet member, so there is no deliberation or voting rights. While laws have been operated by Prime Ministerial decrees, once it becomes a ministry, it will have the authority to issue its own ministry ordinances.
Although the organization will grow, the budget is not expected to increase. The current structure of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs is '1 Office, 5 Bureaus, 4 Divisions,' but upon becoming a ministry, the organization will expand and the number of senior executive service personnel is expected to increase. However, since the current budget is already 5.8 trillion won, the largest among agencies at the 'office' level, the ministry expects that the budget increase due to the upgrade will not be significant.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs expects that the upgrade to a ministry will enhance the status of patriotism and boost the pride of national merit recipients. Since the establishment of the Welfare Agency in 1961, its status has fluctuated. The upgrade to a ministry has been a long-standing wish of national merit recipients and veterans organizations. Major advanced countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia operate their veterans affairs departments as ministries. These countries recognize that strengthening veterans affairs fosters a social atmosphere dedicated to the nation and contributes to strengthening national defense.
The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs stated, "Veterans affairs is a measure of the nation's dignity," and added, "Taking this opportunity to promote the upgrade to a ministry, we will serve and honor those who sacrificed for the country with a humbler attitude, spread a culture of veterans affairs throughout society, and strive to establish veterans affairs as part of the national identity and contribute to national unity."
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