Yoon "Preparing to Establish Low Birthrate Chief Office"... Creating Chief Office Before New Ministry Formation

Directive at the Chief Secretary Meeting on the Morning of the 13th

President Yoon Suk-yeol is holding a press conference on the morning of the 9th at the briefing room of the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul to mark the 2nd anniversary of his inauguration. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol presided over a senior secretaries meeting on the morning of the 13th and instructed to "prepare for the establishment of the Low Birthrate Secretariat," according to a written briefing by presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung.

At the press conference marking his second anniversary in office on the 9th, President Yoon announced plans to establish a "Low Birthrate Response Planning Department (tentative name)" to address low birthrates and population aging. Before creating a new ministry, he took this step to create a related secretariat within the presidential office to enable a full-scale response to low birthrate issues.

On the same day, a presidential office official told Asia Economy, "If a ministry for low birthrate is created, a secretariat dedicated to handling low birthrate issues is necessary. However, the existing Senior Secretary for Social Affairs has a wide range of duties including education and welfare, making it impossible to focus solely on low birthrate issues," adding, "This reflects President Yoon's strong will that a dedicated senior secretary is needed to fully concentrate on low birthrate problems."

Earlier, at the second anniversary press conference, President Yoon defined the low birthrate and aging population issue as a "national emergency" and presented a blueprint to have the Minister of the Low Birthrate Department serve as Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs to establish policies encompassing education, labor, and welfare.

President Yoon's remark about establishing the Low Birthrate Secretariat was made for the first time that day, and is seen as a concrete step toward realizing the plan to create the Low Birthrate Response Planning Department. Since establishing a new ministry requires amending the Government Organization Act, cooperation from the opposition Democratic Party is essential. Additionally, as functions and organizations from related departments such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy, and Ministry of Gender Equality and Family need to be transferred, a large-scale organizational restructuring will also be necessary.