Gov't to establish new population policy ministry in next three months

Politics

Published: 01 Jul. 2024, 18:39

Gov't to establish new population policy ministry in next three months

Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min delivers a joint briefing with related ministries on the establishment of a new ministry of population strategy and planning at the Government Complex Seoul in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

The Korean government will establish a new ministry to address the country's pressing demographic challenges, including low birthrates and an aging population.

This move follows President Yoon Suk Yeol's declaration of a "national demographic emergency" last month.

The tentatively named Ministry of Population Strategy and Planning is set to be launched within the next three months, and its minister will double as deputy prime minister.

"It is a powerful control tower for responding to low birthrates and an aging society," said Interior and Safety Minister Lee Sang-min during a joint ministerial press briefing on Monday at the Government Complex Seoul. He said the new ministry would "encompass not only responses to low birthrates but also overall population policies, such as ones related to aging society, the workforce and immigration."

Despite repeated calls for a dedicated population ministry, such an agency failed to materialize, and Korea's birthrate plummeted to the world's lowest. Last year, the total fertility rate dropped to a record low of 0.72.

Japan and Spain are among the few countries with dedicated population ministries; Japan's Cabinet Office, for instance, has a minister for special missions overseeing population policies.

The new ministry will increase the number of government departments from 19 to 20. Highlighting its importance, the ministry will be ranked second only to the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

The current Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy will be integrated into this new ministry, which will handle budget reviews, project evaluations and coordination based on independent legislation. Additionally, it will develop a national development strategy related to population every five years.

The new ministry will centralize social policy functions related to low birthrates, previously divided among several ministries, while establishing new ones related to the workforce and immigration. It will also incorporate statistical analysis functions from Statistics Korea’s population division.

However, specific policies and projects will still be managed by individual ministries. Childbirth, children and elderly issues will remain under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, work-family balance will be managed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, and family and youth issues will continue to be handled by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

The government plans to introduce amendments to related acts within this month, and the creation of the ministry is expected to take about three months after the legislation passes.

The government also announced that it would resurrect the political affairs minister position, abolished during the Park Geun-hye administration, to enhance communication with the National Assembly. The reintroduced role will perform tasks designated by the president or the prime minister, mainly involving communication with the National Assembly.

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will also remain in place despite President Yoon Suk Yeol's campaign promise to abolish it.

"We took into consideration the urgency of addressing the low birthrate, and there was a consensus on strengthening the control tower for this issue," said Kim Jeong-ki, an official at the Ministry of Interior and Safety, during the briefing. "The matter of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family will continue to be discussed and reviewed within the government."

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]