Will the Minister of Political Affairs be revived after 7 years... Moon orders review following Joo Ho-young's proposal

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Will the Minister of Political Affairs, abolished after the Lee Myung-bak administration, be revived after 7 years? Joo Ho-young, floor leader of the United Future Party, proposed the revival of the 'Minister of Political Affairs' during a meeting with President Moon Jae-in, and President Moon has instructed a review. This is interpreted as an intention to increase communication between the Blue House and the ruling and opposition parties through the establishment of the Minister of Political Affairs.

On the 28th, Floor Leader Joo held a press conference at the United Future Party floor leader's office in the National Assembly and stated, "I proposed the revival of the Minister of Political Affairs. I said that reviving the Minister of Political Affairs office would be good for cooperative governance."

He referred to the time when he served as a special minister during the Lee Myung-bak administration, saying, "When the special minister's office managed government-submitted bills, the passage rate of government bills increased fourfold compared to the previous year." He added, "The president thought the Chief Political Secretary and the Minister of Political Affairs were the same, but when I told him that 'opposition party lawmakers are reluctant to meet with the Chief Political Secretary,' the president said he would consider it."

The Minister of Political Affairs was abolished during the organizational restructuring of the Kim Dae-jung administration in 1998 but was revived under the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2009 under the title of Special Minister. However, it was abolished again during the Park Geun-hye administration in 2013 due to overlapping roles with the Chief Political Secretary. In 2016, then Saenuri Party leader Chung Jin-seok also proposed its revival, but it was not realized.

If the Minister of Political Affairs system is revived, communication between the ruling and opposition parties and the Blue House could be strengthened, making cooperative governance easier. Floor Leader Joo also previously introduced a bill to amend the Government Organization Act in 2017, during his time as floor leader of the Bareun Party, aiming to revive the Minister of Political Affairs. This amendment stipulates that the Minister of Political Affairs, not the Prime Minister, would act as a bridge between the Blue House and the National Assembly under the president's orders.

On this day, Floor Leader Joo met with President Moon for lunch and discussed economic, security, diplomatic issues, nuclear phase-out, and national unity for 156 minutes. After lunch, they took a walk together up the hill behind the Blue House to discuss cooperative governance. Floor Leader Joo said, "President Moon spoke about cooperative governance, and in response, I said, 'If you consider the opposition party a true partner in state affairs, I will actively support you.'"

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