"Low Birthrate and Aging Committee Faces Policy Adjustment Challenges... Ministry of Health and Welfare and Ministry of Economy and Finance Must Devise Measures"

Low Birthrate and Aging Committee Secretariat Staff Have Average Tenure Under 2 Years
Planning Office: "Childcare Institutions Should Be Central to Low Birthrate Measures"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] It has been pointed out that low birthrate and aging countermeasures should be developed mainly by executive departments such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and the Prime Minister's Office to enhance the accountability of policies. This is because the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee, which is currently responsible for preparing low birthrate countermeasures, lacks the authority to allocate budgets, thereby hindering policy continuity.

On the 23rd, the National Assembly Budget Office released an analysis report titled "Analysis and Evaluation of Low Birthrate Response Projects," reviewing the planning and management methods of low birthrate policies and presenting these findings.

The Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee is classified as an advisory committee among government committees. According to the Framework Act on Low Birthrate and Aging Society, the committee is responsible for deliberating important matters related to low birthrate and aging society policies. However, in practice, the committee lacks authority over policy decisions and budget allocation, being limited to advisory and deliberative roles, making it difficult to effectively coordinate and design policies.

In fact, without budget allocation authority, the committee has no independent projects, which inevitably causes difficulties in the policy formulation process. A government official stated, "Policies are usually formulated in line with the budget scale," adding, "If there is no budget allocation authority, it can be considered merely declarative."

Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee: 60% of personnel either resign or return to their original departments

Despite being a committee under the President, there is also the problem of unclear authority and responsibility for policies. The Budget Office pointed out, "When there is public criticism regarding the inclusion of a specific policy in low birthrate countermeasures, it is unclear who is responsible for the issue," and added, "It is not clear whether the related ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Welfare, which delegated all authority to the advisory committee, can be held accountable."

Another issue is that the Secretariat of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee is composed mainly of dispatched personnel. From September 2017 to May 2021, among a total of 86 personnel including dispatched officials from ministries, local governments, public institutions, and professional fixed-term staff who worked or are working in the Secretariat, 51 had returned to their original departments or resigned as of May 2021. This means 60% of the overall staff were replaced. Additionally, the average tenure of those working in the Secretariat was found to be less than two years.

Meanwhile, the Budget Office advised that related policies should be managed together. The office emphasized, "Separate low birthrate plans for youth and women should not be established; instead, these plans should be utilized to form a policy package centered on child-rearing institutions as part of low birthrate countermeasures."

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