Minister Sang-min Lee: "We Will Create a Special Organization to Innovate the Civil Service Organizational Culture"

Minister Lee: "It's time to fundamentally change personnel, payroll, and work patterns"
On Daegu-Gyeongbuk integration: "A pressing issue involving all ministries"

Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min announced plans to create a special organization for civil service organizational innovation.

On the 25th, attending the National Assembly's Public Administration and Security Committee comprehensive audit, Minister Lee responded to Rep. Wi Seong-gon of the Democratic Party's criticism that "the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has not properly innovated its organizational culture," stating, "The broad framework of government innovation is civil service organizational culture innovation. It is time to fundamentally change everything beyond simple organizational culture, including personnel, payroll, work patterns, and work locations," thus making this announcement.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

In particular, Minister Lee emphasized, "We will create a special organization and work closely with the Ministry of Personnel Management to do our best during our tenure."

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's survey results from June, which targeted 48,000 national and local civil servants with less than five years of service, titled 'Perception Survey on Organizational Culture in the Public Service,' were also mentioned. When Rep. Wi asked, "The shocking result showed that 7 out of 10 civil servants with less than five years of service want to quit. Why was the result not published?" Minister Lee replied, "There was a view that it would be more appropriate to announce the measures together with the problems rather than only announcing the problems, as a duty to the public, so that is why it was done that way."

The recently initiated integration process between two local governments in Daegu and Gyeongbuk, agreed upon by both parties, was also discussed. Minister Lee stated, "The biggest problem facing South Korea is the unipolar system centered on the metropolitan area, followed by local extinction and population decline," and judged, "The integration of Daegu and Gyeongbuk is a very urgent issue." He added, "Virtually all ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Environment, and Ministry of Employment and Labor, are involved," and said, "We are rapidly forming an intergovernmental support task force."