Im Sang-min Minister's Impeachment Vote Scheduled for the Afternoon of the 8th
Yoon Declares '3+1' Reform, Designates Ministry of the Interior and Safety as Lead Agency
Presidential Office: "Ministry of the Interior and Safety is the Hub of State Administration... Reform at Risk"
[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The 'government reform' initiative, identified as a key task by President Yoon Seok-yeol, has encountered obstacles from the outset. Since it is essentially a public service reform focusing on bureaucratic reform, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety was designated as the lead ministry. However, with Minister Lee Sang-min facing impeachment, the establishment of detailed plans has been disrupted. Although the Presidential Office has stated that it will not rush the long-term national agenda, concerns persist that since government reform is linked to the three major reforms?labor, pension, and education?the direction must be set at least within the first half of the year to enable the formulation of a roadmap.
According to political circles on the 8th, the three opposition parties?the Democratic Party of Korea, the Justice Party, and the Basic Income Party?will hold a vote in the National Assembly plenary session this afternoon on the impeachment motion against Minister Lee Sang-min of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, submitted due to inadequate response to the Itaewon disaster. If the impeachment motion is passed in the plenary session, Minister Lee will become the first cabinet member in constitutional history to have an impeachment motion approved by the National Assembly.
The Presidential Office is closely monitoring the National Assembly situation. Their position is, "We want to ask what serious violations (Minister Lee) has committed under the Constitution and laws." However, since the opposition holds a majority of seats, if the impeachment motion is submitted to and passed by the plenary session, administrative vacuum will be inevitable.
The Presidential Office anticipates that the absence of the Minister of the Interior and Safety will cause disruptions in various areas, as the minister plays a significant role in advancing the government's three major reforms and other key national agendas. Although labor, pension, and education reforms each have their respective lead ministries, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety acts as a 'hub' connecting various ministries, local governments, and agencies. Within the government, plans under discussion as part of 'regional balanced development'?such as relocating some domestic large corporations and major universities to provinces?and adjustments to the Government Organization Act targeting the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family also fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
President Yoon, during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting and subsequent dialogue with public officials, announced the promotion of 'public service change,' designating the Ministry of the Interior and Safety as the lead ministry. President Yoon stated, "The working methods and mindset of public officials must also change boldly. We must boldly break the existing customs and regulatory frameworks," and included government reform alongside the three major reforms, naming it the '3+1' reform. A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "It appears to be an intention to obstruct state administration that the minister faces a crisis of absence just one day after the president declared the government reform as the '+1' addition following the three major reforms."
Within the government, since the government reform mentioned by President Yoon appears to be a public service reform, analyses continue that the role of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which oversees the public official system, is crucial from the start. Last month, during the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s work report, President Yoon likened the personnel system guaranteeing civil servants’ tenure to an 'iron rice bowl' and said, "I do not particularly welcome such civil servants," reflecting the same context.
In response to these concerns, the Presidential Office is reportedly preparing for the possibility that Minister Lee’s impeachment motion may be passed. As a measure to fill the minister’s work gap, the Presidential Office is considering appointing a 'powerful vice minister.' While they say, "It is not yet at the stage of discussing this as a definite possibility," they have expressed a positive stance toward reviewing various countermeasures. The key conditions for a 'powerful vice minister' include work execution capability and control over the ministry. Among the Presidential Office’s key aides, appointing a legal professional as the vice minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is also being discussed. This is to quickly fill the work gap, and the fact that the personnel vetting has already been completed is advantageous. A Presidential Office official said, "Such impeachment efforts not only set a bad precedent in constitutional history but will also cause disruptions in state administration in the long term, adversely affecting people’s livelihoods. It is a time when appropriate judgment from the National Assembly is necessary."
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