First Report on Government Reorganization Plan to President; Adjustment of Authority for Ministry of Economy and Finance and Prosecution Under Review

Lee Hanju, Chairperson of the National Policy Planning Committee, Holds Press Briefing
First Government Reorganization Plan Reported to President on July 3
Key Focus on Adjusting Budget Functions of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and Decentralizing Prosecution Authority
Discussion on Establishing Ministry of Climate and Energy and Deputy Prime Minister for Science and ICT

Yonhap News

The National Policy Planning Committee has prepared a government reorganization plan and completed its first report to President Lee Jaemyung on July 3. The plan is said to focus on adjusting the functions of ministries with concentrated authority, such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the prosecution service.

On July 13, Lee Hanju, Chairperson of the National Policy Planning Committee, held a press briefing at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, stating, "On July 3, we reported the first draft of the government reorganization plan to President Lee Jaemyung," and added, "There were no major disagreements with the presidential office regarding the overall direction, and we are currently reviewing anticipated issues."

Park Hongkeun, head of the planning subcommittee who also attended the briefing, said, "The government reorganization task force prepared the draft after two weeks of intensive discussion, and we are currently refining it in consultation with the presidential office." He explained, "The separation of budget functions from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the readjustment of the Financial Services Commission's functions, and the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers from the prosecution service were all included in the campaign pledges, and we are working on these in detail."

Regarding the reorganization of the prosecution service, Chairperson Lee stated, "The decentralization of the prosecution's authority is being treated as an important matter in fulfilling the President's campaign promises. We are also discussing ways to prevent negative side effects from the concentration of investigative powers, while preserving the nation's investigative capabilities." He added, "If investigation and prosecution are separated, multiple units will be created to compete and, at the same time, cooperate in investigations."

Subcommittee head Park also said, "The committee is preparing a reorganization plan related to the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers within the prosecution service. The legislative process and detailed roadmap will be discussed by the presidential office and the ruling party." He emphasized, "Prosecution reform is not merely an internal issue for the prosecution service, but a matter that must consider the efficiency and balance of all national investigative agencies, including the police."

Regarding the proposal to establish a Ministry of Climate and Energy, Park explained, "The main issue is whether to combine it with the Ministry of Environment or to separate only the energy functions from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. We are discussing several options with the presidential office." On the reorganization of the Korea Communications Commission, he added, "We are collecting a wide range of opinions from academia and the media on media governance reform, including the Korea Communications Commission, and discussions are ongoing around three main options."

On the proposal to elevate the Minister of Science and ICT to Deputy Prime Minister, Chairperson Lee stated, "There have also been discussions regarding the restructuring of the Deputy Prime Minister system."