National Policy Planning Committee: "Working-Level Restructuring Plan Maintains President Lee's Key Pledges"

Discussion on Constitutional Amendment and National Initiative System Also Underway

Han Joo Lee, chairman of the National Policy Planning Committee, said on the 13th, "On the 3rd, I reported the draft of the organizational restructuring plan to President Jaemyung Lee and exchanged opinions," adding, "We will thoroughly review it until the very last moment."

Having completed four weeks, which is about half of the committee's total 60-day mandate, Chairman Lee held a press briefing at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul on this day. He explained the discussions that have taken place so far and outlined future plans.

Han Joo Lee, chairman of the National Policy Planning Committee, is speaking at a press briefing held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 13th. Photo by Yonhap News

While Chairman Lee did not present a specific organizational restructuring plan, he said, "The overall framework we prepared during the presidential election remains intact."

This is interpreted to mean that a significant portion of the working-level plan of the National Policy Planning Committee reflects the initiatives President Jaemyung Lee pledged during the election campaign, including the separation of budget formulation functions from the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the reorganization of investigative agencies following the separation of investigative and prosecutorial powers, and the establishment of a Ministry of Climate and Energy.

Regarding prosecution reform and the reorganization of investigative agencies, Chairman Lee stated, "Units that investigate both competitively and cooperatively in several areas will be created."

He further explained, "We are discussing the establishment of institutional mechanisms to prevent the harm caused by concentrating investigative authority in a single place while preserving the nation's overall investigative capacity, and we are also discussing the formation of units that can cooperate among investigative agencies."

Regarding the proposal to establish a Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology, he said, "There have been discussions about restructuring the deputy prime minister positions," but added, "It is difficult to provide specific details at this time." He also said that several proposals regarding the establishment of a Ministry of Climate and Energy are currently being discussed with the Office of the President.