One of President Lee Jae-myung's presidential campaign promises, the outline of the reorganization plan for the Ministry of Climate and Energy, is expected to be revealed soon.
According to Yonhap News on the 10th, the Presidential Committee on Policy Planning is currently in the final stages of discussions regarding the establishment of a 'Ministry of Climate and Energy' and a reorganization plan into a 'Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment'.
The establishment plan for the Ministry of Climate and Energy is a proposal to create a new ministry by separating the Energy Division of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Climate and Carbon Division of the Ministry of Environment. In contrast, the reorganization plan for the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment is a method where the Ministry of Environment expands its scale by transferring only the energy functions from the Ministry of Industry.
The committee is expected to finalize the discussion of some national tasks, including the direction of government reorganization, around the upcoming Liberation Day. Minister Kim Seong-hwan mentioned at a press conference on the 4th that there will be a time to finalize the government's reorganization direction before August 15.
If the discussions continue in the current direction, it is highly likely that the energy functions of the Ministry of Industry will transition to either the newly established Ministry of Climate and Energy or the expanded Ministry of Environment. If energy policy is separated from industrial policy, it would be the first time in 32 years since the merger of the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Power Resources in 1993 to form the Ministry of Commerce and Resources.
The Ministry of Commerce and Resources later evolved through the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Resources, and the Ministry of Knowledge Economy into the current Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Although the Ministry of Industry transferred its trade functions to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade during its time (2005-2013), it has never separated its energy functions.
Korea has traditionally almost entirely relied on imports for energy sources such as crude oil, gas, and coal, and has made stable energy supply a core task of economic security while experiencing crises such as the oil shock.
Meanwhile, President Lee promised to newly establish the Ministry of Climate and Energy as a control tower encompassing the response to climate crises and energy policy during his candidacy. He explained the background for the reorganization push, stating, "The issue of energy and industrial transition due to the climate crisis is closely related to environmental energy, but since environment is regulation-focused and energy is industry support-focused, conflicts arise."