2019 Government Performance Evaluation... Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Justice, and Korea Communications Commission Receive 'Failing Grades'

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwangho Lee] Due to frequent protocol mistakes, leaks of diplomatic secrets, and successive misconducts at overseas diplomatic missions, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs received the lowest 'C' grade in last year's government performance evaluation. The Ministry of Unification, Ministry of Justice, and Korea Communications Commission also scored at a failing level.

On the 15th, the Office for Government Policy Coordination announced the results of the '2019 Government Performance Evaluation' for 43 central administrative agencies (23 ministerial-level and 20 vice-ministerial-level) at a Cabinet meeting held at the Government Seoul Office Building, presided over by Prime Minister Chung Sye-kyun.

The evaluation criteria included jobs and national agenda (65 points), regulatory innovation (10 points), government innovation (10 points), policy communication (10 points), communication satisfaction (5 points), and instruction compliance (±3 points).

To ensure fairness and objectivity, 631 participants including private experts and policy demanders took part in the evaluation by sector.

Based on the comprehensive evaluation results, the Office for Government Policy Coordination classified agencies into five levels: S·A grades (30%), B grade (50%), and C·D grades (20%).

Among ministerial-level agencies, ▲S grade was awarded to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs ▲A grade to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and Financial Services Commission ▲B grade to the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of the Interior and Safety, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, Fair Trade Commission, and Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission.

Among vice-ministerial-level agencies, ▲A grade went to the Ministry of Government Legislation, Korea Customs Service, Public Procurement Service, National Fire Agency, Rural Development Administration, and Korean Intellectual Property Office ▲B grade to the Ministry of Personnel Management, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, National Tax Service, Military Manpower Administration, National Police Agency, Cultural Heritage Administration, Korea Forest Service, Administrative City Construction Agency, Saemangeum Development Agency, and Korea Coast Guard ▲C grade to the Statistics Korea, Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Korea Meteorological Administration, and Nuclear Safety and Security Commission.

Notably, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs received A grades in all four major sectors: jobs and national agenda, regulatory innovation, government innovation, and policy communication, and also achieved excellent policy satisfaction, earning an overall S grade. It was evaluated for its contribution to preventing and blocking livestock infectious diseases such as African Swine Fever and stabilizing farm income. By sector, the Ministry of Science and ICT received an S grade in regulatory innovation, while the Ministry of Education received a D grade.

Additionally, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy was highly rated for strengthening the foundation of innovative growth by enhancing competitiveness in materials, parts, and equipment and sustaining vitality in key industries (such as leading shipbuilding orders and semiconductor ranking first).

The Office for Government Policy Coordination plans to disclose these evaluation results and continuously manage them to reflect in future policy improvements. First, agency grades, sector-specific achievements and shortcomings, and performance and deficiencies of the top 100 national agenda items will be published on the Government Performance Evaluation Committee website. Furthermore, identified shortcomings and areas needing improvement will be communicated to the relevant agencies to encourage policy improvements, and the results will be monitored. For underperforming agencies, focused consulting by sector will be conducted to help achieve better results in the 2020 evaluation, while outstanding agencies will receive monetary awards and commendations for their contributions.

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