Poll: GIA, Most Unnecessary Government Body

The Government Information Agency (GIA) was chosen as the first government body that should be abolished, according to a survey of professionals. Ahead of the December presidential elections, discussions about the restructuring of the next administration started in earnest among the academic circles, political parties, and civil societies.

The Korea Association for Policy Sciences (KAPS) carried out an online survey of 417 professionals, such as professors and researchers, prior to its seminar held today under the theme of “An Ideal Structure of the Next Government.” According to the survey, 36.6 percent of the respondents said the GIA must be removed.

“Although the major tasks of the GIA are promoting the government’s policies and collecting public opinion to assist state affairs, each ministry is practically redundantly doing the tasks,” an official of the KAPS said.

“The Ministry of Culture and Life should be created by merging the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the software industry support division of the Ministry of Information and Communication. The GIA should also be integrated into the new ministry,” said professor Kim Sang-mook of Seoul National University of Technology. Kim, who delivered a speech during the seminar, argues that the GIA’s task of public relations and policy promotion should be given to the Ministry of Government Policy Coordination which should be created by integrating the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs with the Office of Government Policy Coordination. He also says that the task of the Korean Overseas Information Service should be transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Life by establishing a promotion headquarters in the new ministry.

In addition, 63.5 percent and 73.9 percent of the surveyed, respectively, said that the number of public servants should be reduced and that the number of ministries should be reduced. This indicates that professional groups have a negative perception of the Roh administration’s “big government” policy.

Meanwhile, professor Lee Chang-won and Lee Seok-hwan of Kookmin University said that the budget planning and evaluation tasks of the Ministry of Planning and Budget should be separately handled by creating the Ministry of Budget Planning and some of its tasks should also be handed to the Ministry of Government Policy Coordination.

kimkihy@donga.com