574 Government Committees Across Ministries... Major Overhaul of Those with Low Meeting Performance

Ministry of the Interior and Safety Strengthens Efficient and Systematic Management by Abolishing Committees with Reduced Necessity

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on the 21st that it will undertake a major reorganization of various committees within government ministries to activate them as spaces for public participation and communication.

Committees with poor meeting performance and those operated only formally will be abolished, and essential committees will be reorganized by gathering opinions from the public and experts to ensure active operation.

Committees affiliated with administrative agencies have somewhat increased due to the growing need for stakeholder coordination and expert consultation as social issues become more complex and diverse. Despite continuous reorganization efforts, the number of newly established committees has been higher, reaching 574 as of June last year, a 4.6% increase over the past five years.

The average number of meetings held by these committees was 14.3 at the end of last year, up from 13.5 the previous year. However, 41 committees held no meetings in the past year (excluding committees where meeting conditions such as dispute resolution did not arise).

Accordingly, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has strengthened reorganization criteria, requiring administrative agencies to prioritize reviewing committees with poor meeting performance over the past three years as well as those with no meetings in the past year.

Each administrative agency conducted self-evaluations of their committees regarding meeting performance, functional similarity or overlap, and the continuation of advisory tasks by gathering opinions from the public and experts. The Ministry will comprehensively review these evaluations and select committees for reorganization at an advisory meeting composed of experts on the 22nd, coordinating reorganization plans. It will recommend and promote the revision of legal grounds for committees and operational revitalization to the relevant administrative agencies.

However, even if meeting performance is poor, committees that need to maintain their functions will be supported by measures such as transferring affiliation from the Prime Minister’s Office to respective ministries, expanding the appointment of private members, newly forming subcommittees within the committee, and adjusting the scope of deliberation items to increase meeting frequency.

Furthermore, to ensure balanced regional perspectives are reflected in policies, participation of private members from non-capital regions will be continuously expanded, and administrative agencies will enhance transparency by disclosing committee operation statuses on their websites.

Lee Jae-young, Director of Government Innovation and Organization at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, "We will utilize essential committees as spaces for public participation and communication, while boldly reorganizing unnecessary committees to improve efficiency."

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