Government to Establish Deputy Prime Minister-Level 'Population Strategy Planning Department'... Reviving the Political Minister Position

Government Organization Act Amendment Bill to Be Proposed This Month
Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs, Ministry of Education → Minister of Population Strategy Planning
Granted 'Budget Allocation and Adjustment Functions,' Serving as Control Tower
Reinstatement of Political Affairs Minister Abolished During Park Geun-hye Administration Under Consideration

The government is pushing to establish a new ministry called the 'Population Strategy Planning Department' through amendments to the Government Organization Act to address low birth rates. The plan is to create a deputy prime minister-level ministry with budget review authority to control population-related projects across various ministries. Additionally, a political affairs minister will be established to strengthen communication functions between the government and the National Assembly.

On the morning of the 1st, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and related ministries held a joint briefing at the Government Seoul Office to announce the 'Government Organization Reform Plan' containing these details.

The government aims to establish the Population Strategy Planning Department, a deputy prime minister-level ministry that can comprehensively cover population policies including low birth rates, aging society, workforce, and immigration. This ministry, headed by a social deputy prime minister, will serve as a control tower responsible for planning, evaluation, budget allocation, and coordination related to population policies. However, detailed policies and projects will be handled by respective ministries (Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family), while the Population Strategy Planning Department will focus on broad strategic and planning functions.

To this end, population-related strategic tasks previously managed by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Economy and Finance will be transferred to the Population Strategy Planning Department. New functions for investigation, analysis, evaluation, and budget allocation and coordination will be established within the Population Strategy Planning Department. It will be responsible for preliminary investigation and analysis of low birth rate projects in each ministry and budget allocation. Also, the social deputy prime minister position will be changed from the current Minister of Education to the Minister of the Population Strategy Planning Department. The Ministry of Education will be reassigned to assist the social deputy prime minister.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

To establish the new ministry, the government will also push for amendments to the Government Organization Act and the Framework Act on Low Birth Rate and Aging Society. The government plans to propose the amended bills within this month, as amendments to the Government Organization Act are necessary for the establishment of the ministry and adjustment of functions between ministries. Furthermore, with the amendment of the Framework Act on Low Birth Rate and Aging Society, the current Presidential Committee on Low Birth Rate and Aging Society will be changed to an advisory committee under the Minister of the Population Strategy Planning Department. The name will be changed to the 'Population Crisis Response Committee.'

The policy scope, previously limited to 'low birth rate and aging society,' will be expanded to cover 'responses to population structure changes.' This will broadly include immigration and housing support policies. The committee, which previously consisted mainly of government officials and experts, will also include policy stakeholders such as youth and parenting parents.

The proposed amendment to the Government Organization Act also includes the establishment of a political affairs minister. The political affairs minister is a cabinet member appointed by the president to carry out designated tasks, serving as a communicator of the president’s messages to both ruling and opposition parties. The position originated in the 1970s as a minister without portfolio and was called the political affairs minister during the administrations of Presidents Jeon Du-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, and Kim Young-sam. It reappeared as the 'special minister' during the Lee Myung-bak administration but was abolished during the Park Geun-hye administration.