Seoul: The Cabinet on Tuesday approved a sweeping government reorganization bill aimed at abolishing the prosecution office and revamping the finance ministry’s budget planning responsibilities.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the bill, the first of its kind under President Lee Jae Myung’s administration, was passed by the National Assembly last week during a plenary session that was boycotted by the main opposition People Power Party. During a Cabinet meeting presided over by President Lee, the bill was approved along with other legislative changes, including the renaming of standing parliamentary committees and the dissolution of the Korea Communications Commission (KCC).
Under the revised Government Organization Act, the prosecution office is slated to be shut down in October next year, 78 years after its inception. It will be replaced by two new agencies that will absorb its investigative and indictment functions. A serious crimes investigation agency will be established under the interior ministry, while an indictment office will be created within the justice ministry. This change follows persistent criticism of the prosecution’s alleged misuse of its exclusive powers for politically motivated investigations.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Economy and Finance will be restructured into two separate entities: the ministry of finance and economy and the office for planning and budget, which will operate under the prime minister’s office. This change is set to take effect in January next year.
Other government ministries will undergo name changes and restructuring starting Wednesday when the revised bill is promulgated. The environment ministry will be renamed the ministry of climate, energy and environment, with most energy departments from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) being transferred to the new ministry. MOTIE will be renamed the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, previously known in Korean as the Ministry of Women and Family, will retain its name in English but will be formally recognized under its new Korean title. Additionally, Statistics Korea and the Korean Intellectual Property Office will be upgraded to the national data office and the intellectual property office under the prime minister’s jurisdiction.
The office of the deputy prime minister for social affairs, previously held concurrently by the education minister, will be abolished. However, the finance and science ministers will each assume roles as deputy prime ministers.
The KCC, the state telecommunications regulator, will also be dissolved, with a new body being established to oversee the broadcasting and telecom sectors. Once the changes take effect on Wednesday, the current KCC chief, Lee Jin-sook, will automatically be removed from her position following months of tension with the Lee administration over her alleged political bias. Lee was appointed by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in July 2024 to a three-year term.