[Editorial Note] The National Policy Planning Committee: All Show, No Substance

In June, during a ministry-by-ministry policy briefing held at the Government Complex Sejong, members of the National Policy Planning Committee (NPPC) fired a barrage of questions at ministry officials. The NPPC even issued a stern warning, stating that "we may request another round of briefings," establishing authority early on. At that time, the NPPC, which positioned itself as the "transition committee" responsible for designing the five-year blueprint of the Lee Jaemyung administration, carried significant weight. However, in less than two months, that momentum fizzled out.

The turning point was the NPPC's "National Reporting Conference" held on August 13. At this event, the NPPC unveiled its national vision and policy principles. The vision, "A nation where the people are the owners, a happy Republic of Korea for all," and the principles of "listening and integration, fairness and trust, practicality and results," were values that, at least in wording, were hard to oppose. The problem came next. To support these, the NPPC simultaneously announced five major national goals, 23 key strategies, 123 national policy tasks, and 564 action items.

The sheer number of goals and tasks was impressive, but a closer look revealed a lack of prioritization and practicality. It was apparent that policies reflecting the interests of various ministries had been included indiscriminately. Like an exhibition wall crowded with artworks, the abundance of items only served to scatter attention. An even bigger issue was communication. As the process progressed, the NPPC effectively lost control over information. On August 12, just one day before the official announcement, the presentation materials (PPT) and detailed plans for the National Reporting Conference were leaked through "unverified channels." The NPPC denied their authenticity, claiming they were not official documents. However, it was later confirmed that the leaked materials were nearly identical to the official ones. This amounted to a misleading explanation, bordering on a falsehood.

The confusion continued on the day of the event. The NPPC had initially announced plans to separately unveil "seven major pledges and 15 key initiatives," and these documents were indeed confirmed. Yet, the NPPC again explained that these were not official documents. This information chaos left even officials from the relevant ministries perplexed.

The way the event was conducted was also nearly one-way. The presentation concluded in just over an hour, with no Q&A session. Despite being called a National Reporting Conference, the public could only listen; there was no opportunity to ask questions or raise issues. While the tight schedule may have been a factor, it clearly exposed a lack of preparation. Even President Lee Jaemyung, who attended the event, stated in his remarks, "The NPPC's proposals are not finalized government policies," and promised ongoing communication throughout the policy implementation process. In effect, he tacitly acknowledged the limitations of the NPPC.

The issue of funding cannot be overlooked. The NPPC estimated that a total of 210 trillion won would be needed over five years to implement the 123 national policy tasks. The funding plan was divided into 94 trillion won from increased revenue and 116 trillion won from expenditure reductions. The revenue increase included normalizing tax cuts from the previous administration and reorganizing tax-exempt and tax-reduction programs as part of tax reform.

However, questions remain about the feasibility. According to the NPPC's calculations, annual revenue would need to increase by 19 trillion won, while expenditures would need to decrease by 23 trillion won each year. However, according to the Ministry of Economy and Finance's recently announced tax reform plan, the total increase in tax revenue over five years would amount to only 35.6 trillion won. The gap between the NPPC's estimate and the actual projection is as much as 58.4 trillion won, but no solution has been presented. Behind the phrase "increasing revenue" lurks the politically sensitive issue of tax hikes.

Furthermore, the highly anticipated direction for government reorganization was entirely omitted from the announcement. Although this was a core issue that could have symbolized a commitment to reform at the beginning of the administration, the NPPC deferred the task. The NPPC's mandate is, by nature, a short-term project. However, a short term cannot be an excuse for a lack of completeness. Policy planning is not "half done at the start." The goals must be clear, and realistic implementation plans must follow.