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By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
President-elect Lee Myung-bak, who won a landslide victory in the Dec. 19 presidential election, has said his government will be smaller but more efficient and pragmatic.
Following his goal, the presidential transition committee announced a government-restructuring plan last Wednesday to reduce the government to 13 ministries and 2 ministry-level agencies from the current structure of 18 ministries and 4 agencies.
Committee Chairwoman Lee Kyung-sook said the next government will be the smallest one since 1969.
The incoming government will mainly seek to reinvigorate the sluggish economy and strengthen ties with foreign countries by abolishing or integrating overlapping functions, according to the committee.
A major and controversial change in the plan is to give the Ministry of Finance and Economy authority to execute the budget, which is expected to make it stronger organization.
Another is to integrate the Ministry of Unification into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
However, it remains uncertain whether Lee's blueprint will get parliamentary endorsement in an extra session of the National Assembly slated for Jan. 28 because other political parties including the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP) strongly oppose the downsizing plan.
Stronger Economy-Related Ministry
As Lee's signature campaign pledge was to boost the economy, which is a major factor for his landslide victory, the government reorganizing plan gives more power to the economic policy-making ministry.
The incumbent Finance and Economy Ministry and Planning and Budget Ministry will be merged to form the Ministry of Planning and Finance.
The economy minister used to hold the additional post of vice-prime minister but this system will no longer be valid.
Instead, the incoming ministry with planning and coordinating functions added will get two major new duties ― the budget and taxation.
The to-be-merged ministry will have an authority to execute the budget, which enables it to affect other ministries' decisions.
Meanwhile, the next president will likely directly affect economic policies.
``As the people's strong desire for an economic boost brought victory to Lee Myung-bak, he, himself, will deal with economic policies and issues,'' a committee member said on the condition of anonymity.
The incoming government, however, will not have significant clout like former ministers used to have, wield their power over private companies, committee spokesman Lee Dong-gwan said.
The new Finance Commission, into which the Financial Supervisory Commission will be absorbed, will manage financial policies and supervise financial institutions.
As it will also supervise the Korea Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund and the Korea Technology Credit Guarantee Fund, the new commission is expected to have a stronger effect on the private sector.
Super Foreign Ministry to Debut
A controversial change in the government restructuring plan is to abolish the Unification Ministry, though the transition team insists it is just being integrated.
Its functions will be absorbed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to be renamed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Unification.
Unlike previous governments which considered North Korea as a special state, not a foreign country, the Lee administration is letting all ministries deal with North Korea issues.
``Policies on unification are not a concern of only one ministry but of every ministry for the sake of coordination and consistency,'' a committee official said asking to remain anonymous. ``The merger of the two ministries aims at having a synergy effect.''
The transition team said Unification Ministry policies brought confusion to other policies with its excessive authority over 10 years.
Under the restructuring plan, the empowered Foreign Ministry will coordinate meetings between the two Koreas as well as set foreign policy.
It will also to take over some of the functions of the National Intelligence Service, which will enable the ministry to supervise foreign and security issues.
Some critics say that the restructuring plan does not take into consideration the distinctiveness of North Korea.
The progressive Democratic Labor Party (DLP) as well as the UNDP insist that the Unification Ministry should remain due to the importance of inter-Korean relations and future unification.
Only four ministries including the Defense Ministry, the Environment Ministry and the Labor Ministry will be untouched by the reshuffling.
Meanwhile, heads of abolished or integrated ministries are keenly lobbying political parties for their survival.
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Kang Moo-hyun Monday visited chairpersons of the UNDP and the DLP Monday.
Jang Ha-jin, the minister of Gender Equality and Family, the same day underlined the importance of her ministry during a meeting with Rep. Sim Sang-jeong, who is temporarily leading the DLP on behalf of its leaders who resigned en masse following their defeat in the presidential election.
Assembly Session on Jan. 28 to Decide Fate of Ministries
For the actual downsizing, the next government must get parliamentary endorsement in the National Assembly's extraordinary session slated for next Monday.
The Grand National Party (GNP), on whose ticket the President-elect won the Dec. 19 election, submitted the government reorganizing bill on Monday promising to give full support for its approval.
However, other political parties hinted that they will go all out to stop the passage of the bill.
UNDP Chairman Sohn Hak-kyu claimed that to-be-abolished ministries such as Maritime Affairs, Gender Equality and Unification should remain intact.
Even though the GNP, which is expected to stand as next government party after the Assembly elections in April, supports the bill, it may be difficult for it to pass the bill with only its votes.
For the bill to come into effect, two-thirds of attending lawmakers should vote for it.
While the GNP holds 130 seats in the 299-member unicameral legislature, the UNDP has 137 seats and the DLP takes nine seats.
Panels of the Parliamentary Government Administration and Home Affairs Committee will deliberate the downsizing bill Friday.
If lawmakers fail to reach an agreement on the bill in the committee meeting or the extra session, the incoming government will have difficulties nominating prime minister and other Cabinet members before Lee takes office on Feb. 25.
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