Despite Impeachment Turmoil, Ministries Prepare Work Plans... "No Guidelines from the President's Office"

Collecting Next Year's Departmental Work Plans
"No Directives Yet from the President's Office"
Usually Prepare Next Year's Work Plans from December to January
Key Tasks' Work Plans Expected to Stall if Impeachment Occurs

Amid political turmoil with President Yoon Seok-yeol's declaration of martial law and the push for his impeachment, various government ministries are reportedly preparing reports to advance next year's work plans. However, as the president faces impeachment threats, instructions for government-initiated work plans have not yet been conveyed.

A Ministry of Education official told Asia Economy on the 13th, "There are several educational reform tasks that need to be addressed, so we are internally preparing," adding, "Whether or not we submit reports, work plans are necessary to carry out tasks." A Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official also explained, "The budget for next year has been finalized, and since December we have been organizing the tasks to be done next year, so each bureau is currently preparing their work plans."

Typically, the government and each ministry receive work reports by department and bureau around December to January for the following year's work plans. However, since the declaration of martial law by the president, government operations have effectively stalled, making it difficult to formulate next year's work plans. Especially with the likelihood of the National Assembly passing an impeachment motion against President Yoon on the 14th, national agenda items related to education, administration, labor, and the economy face the risk of being abandoned or only continuing previously planned initiatives.

Ministries' Work Plans for Early This Year. Screenshot from the Presidential Office Website.

Since its inception, the government has announced plans to promote three major education reform policies: ▲state-responsible education and care (including integration of early childhood education), ▲digital education innovation, and ▲university reform, including increasing medical school quotas as part of the national agenda. Under the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, significant policies such as ▲restructuring the local administrative system and ▲establishing a Population Strategy Planning Department have also been announced.

A Ministry of Education official said, "There are no guidelines yet for work reports led by the Presidential Office," adding, "Now is not the time to even talk about work reports." A Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official added, "It has not started yet, and there are no instructions."

An official from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety also stated, "Under normal procedures, directions come from the Presidential Office or the Prime Minister's Office," adding, "We have not received such instructions yet, so the ministry is only conducting internal reviews."

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