[National Planning Committee to Hold National Report Event Today... Lee Jae Myung Administration to Unveil "Real Korea" Roadmap]

Five-Year National Governance Plan Unveiled
123 National Policy Tasks and Key Initiatives Announced

The Presidential National Planning Committee, which has served as the transition team for the Lee Jae Myung administration, will conclude its two-month journey by holding a "National Report Meeting" on the afternoon of August 13, where it will announce the five-year national governance plan and other key initiatives.

President Lee Jae Myung is taking a commemorative photo after awarding the letter of appointment to Lee Han Ju, Chairman of the National Planning Committee (right in the photo), at the Yongsan Presidential Office on the 4th of last month. Photo by Yonhap News, Presidential Office Press Photographers Group

According to the National Assembly, the National Planning Committee, and government ministries on August 13, the committee has selected 123 national policy tasks and 564 detailed implementation tasks during its approximately 60 days of activity since its launch on June 14. The policy tasks are categorized by sector as follows: politics (19), economy (29), balanced development (23), society (37), and diplomacy and security (15).

The most high-profile policy task, known as Task No. 1, is expected to be "constitutional amendment." The details of the amendment are anticipated to include a four-year presidential term with the possibility of re-election, as pledged by President Lee during his campaign, as well as the recommendation of the Prime Minister by the National Assembly and limitations on the President's right to request reconsideration (veto power). Previously, as a presidential candidate, President Lee had proposed a constitutional amendment featuring a four-year re-election system and a runoff voting system, suggesting that a national referendum could be held as early as next year's local elections.

"Defense reform," which includes the military that was at the center of the illegal 12·3 Martial Law, has also reportedly been selected as a national policy task. This is expected to include the abolition of the Defense Security Command, which participated in the martial law, and the transfer of wartime operational control within the term of the Lee Jae Myung administration.

However, the final direction for government organizational restructuring, including the prosecution and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which has been a matter of intense public interest, has not yet been decided and will be excluded from the announcements made on this day. There is speculation that, considering major government issues such as follow-up measures to customs negotiations and the formulation of next year's budget ahead of the upcoming Korea-U.S. summit on August 25, the announcement may be delayed until at least the end of this month.

Within political circles and government ministries, there is a strong possibility that the restructuring plan will include splitting the Ministry of Economy and Finance into a Planning and Budget Office and a Ministry of Finance and Economy. The plan is likely to transfer the policy functions of the Financial Services Commission to the Ministry of Finance and Economy, while the supervisory functions would be jointly carried out by the Financial Supervisory Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service. If implemented as expected, this would mark the first separation in 17 years since the Ministry of Economy and Finance was formed by merging the Planning and Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance and Economy in 2008.

The inclusion of the creation of a "Ministry of Climate and Energy," a campaign pledge of President Lee, is also anticipated in the restructuring plan. The most likely scenario so far is to transfer the energy policy functions of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to the Ministry of Environment, effectively having the Ministry of Environment absorb the energy-related responsibilities of the Ministry of Industry. Another option being discussed is to separate the climate-related functions of the Ministry of Environment and the energy-related functions of the Ministry of Industry to establish a new "Ministry of Climate, Environment and Energy" (tentative name). Regarding this, Minister of Environment Kim Seong Hwan recently stated, "It is unlikely that the energy sector will remain as it is." There is a growing consensus that, in one form or another, an organizational restructuring of the climate and energy sectors is highly likely.

Some have also suggested that the Department of Shipbuilding and Offshore Plant within the Ministry of Industry should be transferred to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries. With the relocation of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan confirmed, there are arguments that it should take over the shipbuilding and offshore plant policy functions. However, a government official dismissed this, stating, "As far as I know, there has been no concrete discussion about transferring shipbuilding and offshore plant functions to the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries."

Meanwhile, after its mandate ends, the National Planning Committee will be reorganized into the Presidential National Future Strategy Committee and will take on the management of national policy tasks. It is expected that the Future Strategy Committee will supplement, add to, and adjust the policy tasks selected by the Planning Committee, after which the Presidential Office will implement them and the Office for Government Policy Coordination will oversee inspection, management, and evaluation.