Saenuri Party think tank to shrink its political affairs function

The Yeouido Institute, think tank for the leading Saenuri Party, will drastically shrink its political function to focus on policies. It will aim to rebrand itself as a research institution focusing on policy development, shifting away from politics-orientation.

A key Saenuri Party official said Monday, “Kim Jong-seok, president of the Yeouido Institute, made a reform plan and reported it to (Saenuri Party) Chairman Kim Moo-sung.” Kim Moo-sung has said the institute’s politics section should be tuned up, raising speculations that he wants to develop policies on a mid to long term to lay foundation for general elections next year and the presidential election the following year.

The Yeouido Institute will change the double axis of policy and political affairs into policy and planning. Manpower will be added to the policy office to upgrade the institute into a policy institute worthy of its name. The political affairs research division that releases confidential reports on the analysis and strategy for pending political issues will drop the name political affairs and add “planning” to its name. The overall idea is to set up mid to long term vision of the party and focus on main issues and agenda. “This is to focus on policies instead of politics,” a party official said.

The institute will hire regular position researchers in order to strengthen responses to youth policies and new media including social network services, which have been criticized as one of the weak points of the Saenuri Party. The Yeouido Institute plans to finalize the organizational reform by early October.

As a means to prepare for next year’s general elections, the leading party will launch “Vision 2016 Committee” headed by institute head Kim during October. The committee will handle the development of general election pledges, and will be composed by outside experts.