Information Disclosure Committee Elevated to 'Prime Minister' Level... Number of Private Members Expanded from 5 to 7

Addition of Authority for Improvement Recommendations on Public Institution Information Disclosure Operations

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Information Disclosure Committee, previously under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, will be elevated to the Prime Minister's Office, and the number of civilian members will increase from 5 to 7. Additionally, its functions will be strengthened with the added authority to recommend improvements in the operation of information disclosure in public institutions.

On the 29th, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that to realize an open innovation government communicating with the public, it will appoint new members of the 9th Information Disclosure Committee and hold a regular meeting on the 30th.

According to amendments to the Information Disclosure Act, the committee's affiliation will be elevated from the Minister of the Interior and Safety to the Prime Minister. The number of civilian (appointed) members will expand from 5 to 7, making a total of 11 members (7 appointed, 4 ex officio).

Professor Yuk So-young, who was a member of the 8th Information Disclosure Committee, has been appointed as the chairperson, and six civilian members with extensive field experience in information disclosure and the ability to represent various social sectors will be appointed. In particular, the composition of the committee will ensure that women and non-metropolitan members constitute more than 40%, and will include members in their 20s to strengthen representativeness.

The Information Disclosure Committee deliberates and coordinates matters related to the establishment of information disclosure policies, system improvements, and comprehensive evaluations of information disclosure systems and operations. From the 9th committee onward, its functions will be enhanced with added authority to investigate unreasonable systems and operational cases related to information disclosure and recommend improvements.

At the regular meeting held after the appointment of members, two agenda items, including the '2021 Comprehensive Evaluation Plan for Information Disclosure,' will be presented. The committee will review whether the evaluation indicators for the comprehensive evaluation of information disclosure scheduled for September are appropriately set to meet its objectives.

Furthermore, the committee will review the major amendments to the recently revised Information Disclosure Act, its enforcement decree, and enforcement rules, and actively exchange opinions on the future development direction of the information disclosure system.

Lee Jae-young, Vice Minister of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, stated, “The role of the Information Disclosure Committee is very important for the development of Korea’s information disclosure system in a direction that strengthens the public’s right to know,” and added, “We will actively reflect the matters discussed by the Information Disclosure Committee and strive further to realize an open innovation government.”

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