Gov't establishes ministry for startups
Minimum restructuring made for stability in state affairs
By Yi Whan-woo
The Moon Jae-in administration has decided to establish a new ministry supporting small- and medium-sized companies and tech startups in a government restructuring plan announced Monday.
Additionally, the fire service and Coast Guard units at the Ministry of Public Safety and Security will be divided as separate agencies to better cope with disasters.
The government came up with the restructuring plan in consultation with the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). It was aimed at ensuring stability in state affairs while implementing Moon’s key pledges as best as possible, according to Rep. Kim Tae-nyeon, the DPK’s chief policymaker.
“Given the challenges at home and abroad, we’ve reached a consensus that minimal restructuring of government organization will be appropriate to ensure stability in state management and the continuity of work,” Kim said in a briefing.
He added that that the reorganization is focused on creating more jobs, revitalizing the economy, protecting the people, preserving the ecosystem and enhancing the roles of certain government organizations in line with changes in society.
The government will elevate the Small and Medium Business Administration as an independent ministry to reinforce support for small businesses. Doing so was one of Moon’s job creation pledges to bolster support for small companies and venture startups to meet the challenged of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The National Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard will be separated from the safety ministry to empower them to better cope with disasters. Afterward the ministry will be scrapped and its other functions will be merged into the Ministry of Public Administration and Security. It was set up by the Park Geun-hye administration in November 2014 after she disbanded the Korea Coast Guard for the failure in the rescue operation in the Sewol ferry sinking.
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MTIE) will retain the trade sector although Moon once considered transferring the roles to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which used to handle the issue before the Lee Myung-bak administration. The government cited a need to cope with a possible renegotiation of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Donald Trump administration.
“We thought a possible restructuring may hamper such efforts for consistent and prompt responses on the FTA talks,” Kim said.
Instead, a trade bureau will be installed under the MTIE, with a vice minister-level official serving as the bureau chief. “Such measures are to raise competitiveness in trade,” he said.
The role of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs will be boosted to better support those who have contributed to national security.
To spur the country’s technological advancement, a “science technology innovation” bureau will be created under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning.
The DPK said it would submit the bill on government restructuring to the National Assembly with the aim of passing the bill during an extraordinary session this month.
The participants of Monday’s meeting between Cheong Wa Dae officials and the ruling party leaders included Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon, DPK Chairwoman Choo Mi-ae, DPK floor leader Woo Won-shik, and presidential chief of staff for policy Chang Ha-sung.