 |
| ▲ Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung (R) and Rep. Han Jeoung-ae, the ruling Democratic Party's top policymaker, hold a press briefing at the government complex in Seoul on a government reorganization plan finalized on Sept. 7, 2025. (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This photo shows the Prosecution Service in Seoul on Sept. 7, 2025. (Yonhap) |
(3rd LD) gov't-reorganization
(3rd LD) Gov't finalizes reorganization plan to dismantle prosecution
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; ADDS details)
By Chae Yun-hwan
SEOUL, Sept. 7 (Yonhap) -- A plan to reorganize the government under the Lee Jae Myung administration was finalized Sunday, with the existing headquarters of the prosecution to be dismantled and replaced by new agencies and the finance ministry's budget planning role to be transferred.
Under the plan confirmed in a meeting of the ruling Democratic Party (DP), the government and the presidential office, the Prosecution Service will be scrapped and two new agencies will be created to separately take on the prosecution's indictment and investigative powers.
The move comes as part of Lee's drive to reform the prosecution, which the DP says is intended to curb prosecutors from abusing their powers and end politically motivated investigations.
The new agencies will each be established under the justice ministry and the interior ministry, according to Interior Minister Yun Ho-jung and Rep. Han Jeoung-ae, the DP's top policymaker, who unveiled the envisioned plan in a press briefing.
The change will take place a year after the plan is approved at the National Assembly and announced to the public, they said, adding a task force overseeing the government's prosecution reform push will be installed under the prime minister's office.
The plan also includes stripping the finance ministry of its budget planning role and creating a new agency supervised by the prime minister that will take on the function, in addition to drawing up mid- to long-term state development strategies.
The move is seen as an apparent effort to seek a more balanced budget allocation and keep financial institutions in check of one another as the ministry has been criticized for its expansive role that spans across drawing up economic policy to taxation and budget planning.
Part of the Financial Services Commission's roles involving the domestic financial sector will be transferred to the finance ministry, with the plan set to go into effect on Jan. 2.
The environment ministry will be expanded to take on energy policy tasks currently conducted by the industry ministry, while the statistics office and the patent office will be elevated.
The plan also involves adjustments aimed at strengthening support to foster the country's artificial intelligence ecosystem and tightening inspections of and preventing industrial accidents.
The gender ministry will be renamed with a bigger focus on policies for gender equality and family, with the division for women's policy to be expanded into one for gender equality.
"The revision centers on minimizing the state's financial burden while reorganizing the government into a structure that can be efficiently managed," Yun said.
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
