Expansion of Autonomy in Central Government Department Reorganization... Announcement of Government Organization Management Innovation Plan

Government Complex Sejong./Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Osangdo] The autonomy for central government ministries to reorganize their structures will be expanded. They will be granted authority to reallocate personnel and consolidate or abolish organizations at the division (課) level, and each ministry will be able to establish an 'Emergency Response Team' to address urgent issues.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 14th the 'Government Organization Management Innovation Plan,' which was approved at the Cabinet meeting on the 7th.

This reorganization plan focuses on making government organization operations more flexible. Under the current system, when each ministry reorganizes, it must consult with related agencies such as the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, which manages government organization, or the Ministry of Economy and Finance, which oversees the national budget. This has resulted in delays in responding to urgent matters.

However, going forward, if no increase in personnel is required, ministries will be able to reorganize their structures and reallocate personnel more freely under the responsibility of their respective ministers. This includes reorganizations such as changing the title of a specific policy officer or transferring functions under another policy officer, as well as consolidations and abolitions. A newly established 'New Organization and New Personnel Performance Evaluation Committee' (tentative name), including private sector experts, will assess the performance of newly created organizations and personnel.

If changes to functions at the office (室) or bureau (局) level that could affect the authority and functional division of ministries are necessary, or if organizations or personnel need to be expanded, prior consultation with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Ministry of Economy and Finance is still required as before. However, the consultation period is stipulated to be completed within three months.

Additionally, the 'Emergency Response Team' organization, introduced last year to respond to urgent issues at the ministry level, will be expanded to all ministries. Currently, eight ministries including the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are conducting pilot operations.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to complete the necessary regulatory revisions and implement them within the first quarter of this year. Measures such as shortening the consultation period between ministries when establishing or increasing organizations will be implemented immediately.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.