Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society to Become Population Strategy Committee... Gains Authority for Budget Consultations

Committee Expanded from 25 to 40 Members
Strengthened Planning and Coordination Functions for Population Policy
Advance Submission of Opinions on Budget Proposals Enabled

The Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society will change its name to the “Population Strategy Committee” and be granted new authority, such as the right to consult on budgets in advance, thereby establishing a comprehensive control and coordination system to address all aspects of population issues.

On May 7, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced that the full amendment to the “Framework Act on Low Fertility and Aging Society,” which includes these changes, passed the National Assembly’s plenary session.

The current Framework Act on Low Fertility and Aging Society has been criticized for mainly addressing low birth rates and aging, failing to cover comprehensive population issues such as the uneven distribution of the population.

In response, the government will rename the act to the “Framework Act on Population Strategy” and expand its purpose and policy scope beyond addressing low birth rates and aging to also cover: ▲ responding to the uneven distribution of the population ▲ diversification of household types ▲ cross-border population movement, and in general, adapting to changes in population structure.

Jeung Eunkyeong, Minister of Health and Welfare, is speaking at the '1st Task Force Meeting for Normalization of the Health and Welfare Sector' held at Conference House Dalgabi in Jung-gu, Seoul on the 7th. Photo by Yonhap News.

Alongside this, the existing Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society will be renamed the Population Strategy Committee, and the number of members will be expanded to up to 40 (from the current maximum of 25), in consideration of the expanded policy scope and the committee’s strengthened planning and coordination functions.

The revised law also establishes the legal grounds for setting up metropolitan and provincial committees to deliberate and coordinate important population policy issues at the local government level.

The government has also clarified that the Population Strategy Committee will be responsible for formulating the basic plan, in order to effectively oversee and coordinate relevant policies that are currently scattered among various central administrative agencies and local governments.

A new advance budget consultation system will be introduced, enabling population-related projects across ministries and sectors to be reviewed at the national level and investments to be prioritized in areas with greater impact and tangible results. Under this system, the committee will be able to submit relevant opinions to the fiscal authorities.

The advance budget consultation system will require central administrative agencies and the Population Strategy Committee to consult in advance on the direction and priorities for investing in population-related projects, and the committee will submit its opinions on national-level investment directions to the Minister of Planning and Budget.

Additionally, the government will grant the Population Strategy Committee the authority to investigate, analyze, and evaluate population policies, and relevant agencies will be required to reflect evaluation results when implementing their respective policies.

The amended law will take effect three months after promulgation, but the advance regulation on population-related budgets will be implemented from January 1, 2027.

Minister of Health and Welfare Jung Eun-kyung stated, “With the total fertility rate rebounding for two consecutive years, we have reached a critical turning point in reversing the trend of low birth rates. We will support the committee so that it can serve as the control tower for population policy,” adding, “In particular, we will listen to and reflect diverse opinions from experts, civil society, and the younger generation in establishing population policies.”

Kim Jin-oh, Vice Chairperson of the Presidential Committee on Low Fertility and Aging Society, said, “We will do our utmost to ensure that the expanded policy scope and authority of the Population Strategy Committee meet public expectations. We will cooperate with relevant ministries and the private sector, and collect public opinion to ensure a smooth launch for the new committee.”

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