The Presidential Committee on Policy Planning reported a draft proposal for restructuring the government to President Lee Jae-myung on the 3rd and is reviewing potential issues. The President's intention is to maintain the overarching principles of separating the investigation and prosecution rights of the prosecution and the budget functions of the Ministry of Economy and Finance.
Chairperson Lee Han-joo held a press conference at a location in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 13th and said, "I reported the draft to the President regarding the restructuring and there was an exchange of opinions." The conference was arranged to explain the current operational status one month after the launch of the committee.
The Chairperson noted, "I wonder why it came so quickly already, I rushed because the government was inaugurated, and I thought it would be better to hurry since we are moving in parallel. A considerable number of tasks have already entered the organization stage."
He continued, "The government restructuring can be said to be a very important outcome in the process of organizing national tasks," adding, "The prepared contents have been reviewed together in the Presidential Office, and there were no significant disagreements. There are concerns about whether the national investigative capacity can be fully preserved when separating prosecution and investigation."
The Lee Jae-myung administration is pushing to separate some functions, viewing the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Prosecutor's Office as representative power institutions. The Democratic Party of Korea has proposed the so-called 'four laws of prosecutor reform,' which include dissolving the Prosecutor's Office and establishing a National Investigative Commission under the Prime Minister. The separation of the Ministry of Economy and Finance into the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Budget is also being considered.
Park Hong-geun, a member of the Democratic Party who serves as the head of the planning subcommittee of the Presidential Committee and the team leader of the restructuring task force, said, "The basic principles and direction are the dispersion of excessively concentrated power and crisis response, two aspects. The committee's role is to prepare possible restructuring proposals, while how to legislate and proceed with the roadmap is a matter for the Presidential Office and the party to discuss."
However, he refrained from commenting on tax reform proposals and real estate issues, which are of high public interest. Regarding questions about real estate policy, the Chairperson stated, "If the workload increases to the extent of looking into real estate supply, we won't be able to do anything. The specific details need to be managed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport." Member Park noted, "We have not specifically reviewed the tax reform proposals."
The committee is expected to conclude its activities earlier than scheduled on August 14. Member Park remarked, "Two-thirds of the way has been covered. Even when compared to previous governments' transition committees and the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning, we have increased the pace by about a week," adding, "From next week, we will thoroughly review the adjustment process for each practical task and implementation plan."
The Chairperson stated, "It's like a test. Nothing is over until it's over, and more preparation is needed until the end," emphasizing that "Since many contents have come in regarding the online platform of everyone's square and bus operations, they need to be organized and incorporated into the national tasks."