Concerns Over Government Reform Drive Stalling...Central and Local Government Bridge Role at Risk

[Financial News]  





The Ministry of the Interior and Safety's appointments for minister and vice-minister have been made, and subsequent appointments for directors and department heads are expected soon, bringing vitality to the organization.
In particular, it is expected that policy implementation, which had been struggling due to the absence of a minister, will gain momentum, raising organizational expectations. 
However, as personnel from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety fail to secure positions in the presidential office, concerns are growing that the bridge role between the central and local governments will be disrupted, causing internal distress within the ministry.
There is a particular concern that the drive to promote local autonomy and balanced development will weaken, highlighting the urgent need for alternatives. 
According to the Ministry of the Interior and Safety on the 13th, after the inauguration of the Lee Jae-myung government, a local figure has been appointed as the Secretary for Local Development, a position traditionally held by ministry personnel, increasing the sense of crisis.
It is reported that Lee Seon-ho, who served as the head of Ulju County and is a Democratic Party Ulsan City Committee Chairman, is a strong candidate for the position. He has already been appointed and is working.
The former county head actively participated in making Lee Jae-myung president in both the 20th and 21st presidential elections.
In particular, President Lee was close to the city committee chairman during his time as party leader, effectively serving as a bridge between the party leader's office and public opinion in Ulsan. However, as he is expected to run for the Ulsan mayoral election next year, there is anticipation for subsequent appointments.
Typically, the Secretary for Local Development has been dispatched from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety to handle central government reform, balanced development, and disaster safety tasks.
The Secretary for Local Development is a position that can propose various projects by reflecting the perspective of local governments on local autonomy, decentralization, balanced development policy, and regional industrial policy.
However, if this position is entrusted to external personnel, it is expected to cause disruptions in policy coordination and support in terms of continuity of related tasks.
The functions that were previously divided into the Secretary for Local Autonomy and the Secretary for Balanced Development have been combined into one, raising concerns about unclear roles.
During the Moon Jae-in administration, after initially being divided into two, the organization was combined into one, receiving evaluations that local policies lost momentum.
A government official expressed concern, "External personnel do not understand the structure and system of the central government well, limiting the ability to promote core projects such as government innovation."
This is not the only problem this time. During the Moon Jae-in administration, for three years, local personnel were favored over those from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.
Therefore, there is a suggestion that a new secretary position is needed to support government innovation work from the perspective of revitalizing the public service society.
One official stated, "To drive local government reform and government innovation work, there is a need to establish a position tentatively called 'Government Innovation Secretary' in the presidential office."
It is necessary to formalize reform work through the initial government innovation secretary.
Although government innovation is a national task, the absence of a chief and secretary to handle it is raising voices for urgent establishment. 
Furthermore, there is criticism that the Secretary for Balanced Personnel, which the personnel office has been handling, is being sidelined as external personnel take over the positions, excluding personnel from the personnel office.









ktitk@fnnews.com Kim Tae-gyeong Reporter