Yoon, Considering Action Against Ministry of Environment for 'Flood Damage and 4 Major Rivers Law Violations'... Signal for Government Ministry Restructuring

Yoon and Board of Audit Point Out Environment Ministry "Prepare Flood Control Measures"
Government Organization Act Amendment for Water Management Transfer to Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
Environment Ministry Changes Policy, Organization, and Personnel to Improve Water Management

During the recent heavy rains and flooding, the Ministry of Environment, which was criticized by President Yoon Suk-yeol, has emerged as a signal for ministry reorganization amid legal issues related to the dismantling of the Four Major Rivers dams during the Moon Jae-in administration.

The government and President Yoon judge that the Ministry of Environment, which took over water management from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport during the Moon Jae-in administration, failed to properly respond to droughts and floods due to being ideologically fixated rather than focusing on scientific flood control.

Due to continuous record-breaking heavy rain, the Geumgang embankment near Ugon-ri, Seongdong-myeon, Nonsan-si, Chungnam, was washed away on the morning of the 16th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the presidential office and the government on the 21st, the Ministry of Environment plans to reorganize the departments and personnel responsible for managing rivers and streams soon to minimize drought and flood damage.

This is a follow-up measure related to President Yoon’s criticism at the Cabinet meeting on the 18th, where he said, "Environmental protection is important, but the lives and safety of the people are more important. Manage water properly, and if you cannot, hand it back to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport."

Since President Yoon appointed Lim Sang-jun, the Secretary for National Tasks, as Vice Minister of Environment through a vice minister reshuffle last month, it is expected that the reorganization aligned with the Yoon Suk-yeol administration’s national philosophy will accelerate. On the 9th, Vice Minister Lim chaired the first meeting of the Ministry of Environment’s Red Team at the Seoul Hangang Flood Control Office, urging fundamental changes in the ministry’s policies by stating, "A cartel of vested interests may have been formed without our knowledge. This is something we must be extremely cautious about."

The Board of Audit and Inspection also supported the reorganization by announcing an audit related to the dismantling and permanent opening of the Geumgang and Yeongsangang dams the day before, pointing out illegalities by the Ministry of Environment. The Board stated that the Ministry’s water management, based on environmental preservation ideology and collusion with related organizations rather than civil engineering management and safety for flood prevention, led to increased damage from heavy rains.

However, since returning the water management authority to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport would require amending the Government Organization Act, which is practically impossible, the priority is to reorganize by changing the ministry’s policies, organization, and personnel?i.e., the software aspects.

If the amendment to the Government Organization Act leads to sharp conflicts between ruling and opposition parties, the government could lose the momentum to reorganize on its own, and it could also have negative effects on the general elections in April next year. A presidential office official expressed reluctance, saying, "The issue of transferring water management requires changing the Government Organization Act."

The Ministry of Environment has also accepted the criticisms from President Yoon and the Board of Audit and Inspection, stating its position to maintain all 16 dams of the Four Major Rivers and to normalize the operation of Sejong and Gongju dams for reuse.

Han Hwa-jin, Minister of Environment, said the day before, "We will move away from the prolonged ideological debates and now end the Four Major Rivers controversy, prioritizing safety in water management to respond to the climate crisis," adding, "We plan to prepare flood control measures that include bold river maintenance such as new dam construction and dredging as soon as possible."

The Ministry of Environment is expected to reorganize its internal structure and carry out personnel changes not only to reform the system but also to correct the poor water management system. It is known that the ministry is considering appointing a former Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport official as the head of the Planning and Coordination Office, which oversees budget, finance, personnel, organization, and regulatory reforms. This is interpreted as an intention to lead internal reforms by placing former Ministry of Land officials in key positions within the Ministry of Environment.

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