New Administration to Restructure Gov`t Organizations

The presidential transition committee will likely to finalize its plan to reduce the number of ministries from 18 to 14 around Wednesday to streamline the government organizations.

The transition committee briefed its restructuring plan to President-elect Lee Myung-bak from Jan. 9 to 10 and amended few details.

A key official of the transition team said on Thursday, "Although we have reached the consensus on major issues, such as the number of the government ministries to be merged or reorganized, we are still discussing where to and how to transfer the functions of the ministries, which are subjected to restructuring."

Among 18 central government ministries, four ministries - the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, the Ministry of Information and Communication, the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Science and Technology - will likely be merged into other ministries.

The functions of the Government Information Agency will be transferred to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and that of the Ministry of Planning and Budget will be split and merged into Cheong Wa Dae and the Ministry of Finance and Economy.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will be merged into the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information and Communication will be divided and integrated into the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Energy and the Korean Broadcasting Commission.

"We still have to review and analyze to find out what is the most effective way of integrating the functions of the central government, the local governments, public corporations and private sectors," said Park Jae-wan, a task force team leader of the transition team’s sub-committee on national competitiveness, during a meeting with assistant administrators on Thursday.

ddr@donga.com