The government will overhaul the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee into the Population Strategy Committee and significantly strengthen its role in overseeing population policy, including by granting it the authority to consult on budgets in advance.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare said on the 7th that a full amendment to the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Framework Act containing these measures passed the National Assembly's plenary session. The law's title will also change to the Population Strategy Framework Act, fully expanding the scope of policy.
The amendment goes beyond the existing focus on responding to low births and aging to encompass the overall population structure, including imbalanced population distribution, changes in household types, and international migration.
Accordingly, the committee's name will change to the Population Strategy Committee, and the number of Commissioners will be expanded from up to 25 to up to 40. A legal basis has also been established to set up city and provincial committees to coordinate policy at the local level.
In particular, to strengthen its role as the control tower for population policy, the authority to formulate the basic plan will be unified under the committee, and a system for prior budget consultations that can adjust each ministry's projects in advance will be introduced. After consulting on the investment direction and priorities of population-related projects, the committee will be able to submit its opinions to the fiscal authorities.
At the same time, the committee will be granted authority to investigate, analyze, and evaluate population policy, and related agencies must reflect evaluation results when implementing policies.
The amendment will take effect three months after promulgation, and the prior budget consultation system will apply starting Jan. 1, 2027. Minister Jung Eun-kyeong of the Ministry of Health and Welfare said, "We will support the committee so it can function as the control tower for population policy."