"Reduce Unnecessary Reports and Business Trips"... Park Hongkeun Orders Organizational Culture Reform at Expanded Executive Meeting

Emphasis on Organizational Culture Reform, Including Breaking Traditions
Thorough Review of Budget Proposal and Key Issues

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance is launching an initiative to prevent abuse of authority, unify report formats, and minimize business trips, as part of its efforts to reduce unnecessary administrative waste and improve organizational culture. The goal is to enhance the overall quality of major policies—such as the preparation of the 2027 budget proposal and youth-focused measures—while fundamentally overhauling its work processes.

Minister of Planning and Budget Hongkeun Park presiding over an on-site briefing last May. Photo by Yonhap News.

The ministry announced on the 11th that Minister Hongkeun Park convened the "8th Expanded Executive Meeting" at the Government Complex Sejong. At the meeting, Minister Park expressed appreciation for the staff’s hard work while emphasizing the need for immediate and tangible organizational innovation. He instructed senior officials to "promptly implement tasks that can be executed right away, such as training to eradicate abuse of authority, unifying report formats, and minimizing business trips."

The intention is to reduce time spent on formal report writing and to refrain from customary on-site visits, thereby allowing staff to focus on their core responsibilities of policy planning and review. Additionally, Minister Park called on senior managers to lead by example in reducing unnecessary work and to pay close attention to providing opportunities for staff to recharge.

The meeting also included a thorough review of major core policy issues scheduled to be presented to the public in August. Regarding the completion of the "2027 budget proposal," which has entered its final stage, and the formulation of the "2026–2030 National Fiscal Management Plan," Minister Park urged that their quality be further enhanced until the end, so that citizens can clearly experience the effects of government policies.

Preparations for customized package measures for the younger generation were also a key topic. Minister Park described youth as "structurally disadvantaged in our society" and called for comprehensive support across education, employment, housing, and childbirth. In particular, he directed staff to rigorously devise solutions to eliminate the "marriage penalty," so that no young person hesitates to marry because of national policies.

Additionally, the ministry ordered swift legislative action on key bills during the regular National Assembly session in September, including the Public Interest Whistleblower Fund Act and the Voluntary Carbon Market Act. Minister Park also instructed staff to review the emergency response system in preparation for the Ulchi Exercise scheduled for the third week of August, which will be held for the first time since the ministry’s establishment.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.