"Emphasizing Yoon Hojoong's Philosophy on Local Autonomy"
Social Solidarity Economy Bureau Established under the Autonomy Innovation Office
Will Oversee Saemaul Geumgo and Related Functions
Digital Government Innovation Office Transformed into Artificial Intelligence Government Office
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will establish a new "Autonomy Innovation Office" to strengthen resident autonomy and local decentralization. The ministry will abolish the position of Assistant Vice Minister, which was reinstated under the previous administration, and the majority of its functions will be transferred to the new Autonomy Innovation Office. The Saemaul Geumgo (community credit cooperative) work, previously handled by the Local Fiscal and Economic Affairs Office, will be moved to the newly established "Social Solidarity Economy Bureau" under the Autonomy Innovation Office.
On November 5, Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong held a briefing at the Government Complex Seoul to announce the ministry's organizational restructuring plan. With this restructuring, the ministry's structure will change from "one Assistant Vice Minister, six offices, 27 bureaus/divisions, one team, and 114 departments" to "seven offices, 27 bureaus/divisions, one team, and 117 departments." There will be no additional personnel expansion.
Minister Yoon stated, "The core of this restructuring is to reorganize the organization around key tasks and concentrate capabilities to quickly deliver tangible results that the public can feel, thereby establishing an effective implementation system." The restructuring plan will be pre-announced for legislation on November 6, and if the schedule proceeds as planned, the reorganization will be completed by the end of this month.
According to the plan, the position of Assistant Vice Minister, which was reinstated after ten years under the previous administration, will be abolished. At that time, the ministry had promoted the Local Autonomy and Balanced Development Office under the Vice Minister to Assistant Vice Minister in order to realize the "Era of Localities," a key government initiative focused on local autonomy, local administration, and balanced development.
With the abolition of the Assistant Vice Minister position, the Local Administration Bureau and the Autonomy and Decentralization Bureau will be incorporated under the newly established Autonomy Innovation Office. Minister Yoon confidently stated, "The Autonomy Innovation Office embodies the philosophy of Yoon Hojoong's approach to local autonomy," adding, "We plan to expand resident autonomy councils nationwide to encourage direct participation by residents and leverage the collective capabilities of communities through the social solidarity economy to address the crises of local extinction and the challenges of balanced development."
The "Social Solidarity Economy Bureau" will be newly established within the Autonomy Innovation Office. The social solidarity economy is a concept that replaces the existing social economy, referring to economic activities that pursue not only economic profit but also the realization of social values and solidarity. This means the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will now oversee the social solidarity economy, which had previously been managed by various ministries such as the Ministry of Economy and Finance. The Saemaul Geumgo work, previously handled by the Regional Financial Support Division of the Local Fiscal and Economic Affairs Office, will be transferred to the Social Solidarity Economy Bureau to strengthen its connection with the social solidarity economy.
The existing Balanced Development Support Bureau will be reorganized into the "Balanced Development Bureau," and a new Basic Social Policy Division will be established. Minister Yoon stated, "We will focus on revitalizing resident autonomy and restoring local communities through the social solidarity economy," and added, "We will lead the government's efforts to overcome the crisis of regional extinction and ensure the basic livelihood of the people."
To secure momentum for public sector AI transformation (AX), an "Artificial Intelligence Government Office" will be established. This is an evolution of the existing Digital Government Innovation Office, now centered on artificial intelligence. Under the Artificial Intelligence Government Office, the Artificial Intelligence Government Policy Bureau, Artificial Intelligence Government Service Bureau, and Artificial Intelligence Government Infrastructure Bureau will be established. The Government Innovation Bureau, previously under the Digital Government Innovation Office, will be reorganized as the "Participation Innovation Bureau," and a new Public Participation Policy Division will be established to lay the foundation for a government based on popular sovereignty.
Minister Yoon remarked, "So far, the promotion of e-government and digital government has focused mainly on quantitative aspects," and added, "Going forward, we will restore public trust in the AI government and achieve qualitative advancement by improving the national disaster recovery system and expanding multi-factor authentication, transforming into a trusted AI democratic government."
Additionally, during the briefing, Minister Yoon outlined the ministry's key tasks, announcing plans to enact the Basic Law on Social Solidarity Economy, the Basic Law on Life Safety, and the Social Disaster Response Act. The Basic Law on Life Safety aims to guarantee the "right to live safely" and stipulates the state's responsibility for accident prevention and victim protection, with the goal of passing it during this regular session of the National Assembly. The Basic Law on Social Solidarity Economy and the Social Disaster Response Act have not yet been proposed.
Kim Kwangyong, Director General of Disaster and Safety Management at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "Unlike natural disasters, there is currently no law that comprehensively addresses social disasters, which is why we are seeking to establish one," adding, "The government plans to submit its proposal to the National Assembly by the first half of next year." Jung Youngjun, Director General for Planning and Coordination, said, "We are preparing to propose the Basic Law on Social Solidarity Economy as soon as possible," and added, "Once it is proposed, we aim to have it passed by the National Assembly within this year if possible."
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