The Democratic Party of Korea is preparing a significant government organization restructuring in anticipation of the launch of the 'Lee Jae-myung government.' As the term begins without a presidential transition committee, they aim to quickly prepare a restructuring plan. Right after the government starts, they plan to first split the prosecution and the Ministry of Economy and Finance, and within two months, they will also consider dividing the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Financial Services Commission, and the Financial Supervisory Service based on their functions. The first step is the revision of the Government Organization Act. If the Democratic Party, which holds 180 seats in the National Assembly, gains the presidency, the veto power will become meaningless.
◇“Immediate action upon taking office” targets the prosecution and Ministry of Economy and Finance, says Democratic Party
According to a comprehensive report by ChosunBiz on the 29th, the core of the Democratic Party's proposed government organization restructuring is the division of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. They plan to ▲ divide the current department into a 'Planning and Budgeting Office' and a 'Ministry of Finance and Economy' ▲ examine options to transfer the budget authority (Planning and Budgeting Office) to an organization under the Prime Minister's Office or place it in the policy office of the presidential office. They are also considering establishing a position called 'Chief of Budget' within the presidential office to grant budget authority.
The Democratic Party held a discussion led by members of the Strategy and Finance Committee, its affiliated standing committee, the previous day to address these issues. Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, specifically pointed out the Ministry of Economy and Finance in a Q&A session after completing a nationwide primary on the 27th, stating, 'The Ministry of Economy and Finance is acting like a king among government offices. The authority is excessively concentrated in the Ministry of Economy and Finance, leading to the potential for abuse.'
A legislative proposal has already been prepared. Representative O Gi-hyeong, a member of the Strategy and Finance Committee, has introduced a bill to transfer the budget function of the Ministry of Economy and Finance to the Planning and Budgeting Office under the Prime Minister's Office and to change the current department's name to the Ministry of Finance and Economy. Another party member, Heo Seong-moo, also proposed an amendment to split the Ministry of Economy and Finance into a 'Planning and Budgeting Office' and a 'Ministry of Finance and Economy.' There are also discussions about creating a 'Financial Department' that would combine the financial functions partly held by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Financial Services Commission, and the Financial Supervisory Service.
The prosecution is also a 'priority' organization destined for restructuring. The main focus is to separate the investigative and prosecutorial powers. Specifically, they plan to divide them into an 'Investigative Agency' and a 'Prosecutorial Agency,' with plans for the Ministry of Justice to oversee the Investigative Agency. The candidate is facing five separate trials regarding violations of the Public Official Election Act, corruption in the Daejang-dong and Baekhyeon-dong development, and illegal remittances to North Korea. During each of these instances, the Democratic Party and the candidate have emphasized 'political suppression through prosecution' while calling for prosecution reform. The candidate has previously stated, 'The system that holds both prosecutorial power and investigative power must come to an end.'
◇Establishment of the Ministry of Energy to support 'Lee Jae-myung's AI government'
Dividing the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy according to functions is being discussed. The plan to separate the current ministry into an 'Industry Ministry,' 'Trade Ministry,' and 'Climate and Energy Ministry' is gaining traction. However, considering the relevance between the industry and trade sectors, there is also a scenario of splitting into an 'Industry and Trade Ministry' and 'Climate and Energy Ministry.' It has been said that they referenced foreign cases where industry, trade, climate, and energy are handled in separate ministries.
The newly established Climate and Energy Ministry is envisioned as an organization that will oversee climate-related tasks from the Ministry of Environment and energy tasks from the Ministry of Industry. It would also be a key organization responsible for the energy supply system supporting the 'AI (artificial intelligence) government' proposed by the candidate. There is a strong possibility of establishing a position of 'Deputy Prime Minister for Science and Technology' to oversee AI industry policy. Both proposals were part of the Democratic Party's commitments during the last presidential election.
A party policy committee official noted, 'We are discussing several options within the policy unit,' adding, 'Ultimately, it will be up to the president-elect to decide, but since there won't be a transition committee when taking office, the party must prepare to operate the government immediately.' They also mentioned the timing for the confirmation of next year's government budget (August), stating, 'We must present a comprehensive picture before then.'
◇Government Organization Act: passing the plenary session with 180 seats means 'free pass'
If the Democratic Party comes to power, the proposed amendments to the Government Organization Act could quickly cross the threshold of the legislature and the executive. They simply need to pass the plenary session of the National Assembly with a majority of 180 seats. If the president does not demand reconsideration (veto), the amendments will take effect. Concerns about the rapid discussions on departmental restructuring arise for this reason. The academic community is also expressing significant opposition regarding the presidential office controlling the budget authority. This is because the Democratic Party, which monopolizes legislative power, would also monopolize budget authority following administrative power.
Hah Tae-soo, a professor at Kyonggi University, stated at the previous day’s government organization restructuring discussion, 'If the budget functions are transferred to the presidential office, when the president controls the budget, no one can provide checks.' He added, 'While the Democratic Party may find it frustrating regarding the budget, it is also necessary to exercise restraint when in power,' stating, 'If we only try to solve the problems through organization, we can fail in both organization and personnel.' This means that the Democratic Party's movements could easily transform into 'intimidation of ministries' or create an 'omnipotent Democratic Party government.'