The 17th Presidential Transition Team decided to close the Ministry of Unification as part of its goverment reorganization plan.

Ever since the Presidential Transition Team’s launch early this month, the Team has pursued with prudence its government restructuring plan. The Team created a task force comprised of a few selected individuals whose mission was to develop a reform plan in government structure and regulations. It is known that the dissolution of the Ministry of Unification was on the very first agenda of the committee.

When the Team made its decision to close the Ministry of Unification, it is said that the committee weighed opinions of the task force and the President-elect Lee’s key aides more heavily than those of its subcommittees and relevant ministries including the Ministry of Unification and the Ministry of Foreign Affair and Trade.

Not only the current Ministry of Unification but also most of the President-elect Lee’s advisers in foreign policy have reportedly opposed the merger of the Ministry of Unification into MOFAT. They have maintained their position that the incoming government must keep an independent agency in charge of unification matters even if it breaks up the current Ministry of Unification and demotes it to the level of a department.

The merger reflects the President-elect Lee’s principles in foreign policy and his policy toward North Korea.

The President-elect Lee has announced that he would seek international cooperation from countries such as the U.S. when pursuing his policy toward North Korea. In accordance with the principle of international cooperation, Lee plans to close down the Ministry of Unification whose functions and roles have become too overwhelming under the Roh administration and merge it with the Ministry of Foreign Affair.

Even before the presidential election, there were those who suggested that either the Ministry of Unification be closed or its role be reduced. For instance, Hansun Foundation for Freedom and Prosperity proposed to change the current Ministry of Unification into the “Office of South-North Cooperation” within the Office of Premier. In addition, the Graduate School of Public Administration of Seoul National University suggested that the ministry be closed and merged with the Foreign Ministry.

The President-elect faced oppositions from the United New Democratic Party and groups of experts on South-North Korea relations including former Minister and Vice-minister of Unification. The opponents argue that the reform plan fails to take into account the unique nature of inter-Korean relations, and urge that the incoming government must keep the Ministry of Unification intact.

Before the Ministry of Unification presented a report to the Transition Team on the 7th, the Team was inclined to either close and merge the ministry with the foreign ministry or reduce its role. However, after the presentation, the opinion of those who want to preserve the ministry prevailed within the Team.

Park Jin, a member of the foreign affairs-unification-national security subcommittee of the Team said, “The Ministry of Unification has realized various kinds of notable achievements in regards to South-North relations. However, its size and functions have become too large and complicated as it led the engagement policy toward North Korea.”

Park also raised the possibility of either reorganizing the ministry or reducing its size, saying, “It is necessary to restructure the ministry in order to increase its efficiency and enhance its functions.”

It is reported that the Team had said during the presentation which proceeded behind closed doors later that day, “Now is the time to reset the direction of the ministry so that the people can clearly understand why it has to exist.”

It is those experts on North Korea who strongly oppose the dissolution of the ministry. They purport that there should continue to be a ministry which deals with the nation’s policy towards North Korea. They argue that the Constitution has a clause about peaceful unification and the inter-Korean relations have been defined as being “special” since the 1991 South-North Basic Agreement.

“Personally, I believe we should not disband the Ministry of Unification. The government has to make efforts for the unification and therefore needs a ministry to take care of the unification matter.” said Nam Sung Wook, a professor at Korea University and advisor to the foreign affairs-unification-national security subcommittee of the Transition Team during his appearance on a SBS radio program on January 2.

Some people are speculating that the Committee did not really mean to disband the Ministry of Unification when it proposed its government reorganization plan on Wednesday. They believe that the Presidential Transition Team plans to use its proposal to disband the Ministry of Unification as a bargaining chip when the National Assembly reviews its government reorganization plan for approval.

The Team might have mapped out a strategy to make a compromise with the ruling party which is expected to oppose the government reorganization plan. The Team might yield to the ruling party by keeping the Ministry of Unification with its functions reduced. The ruling party on its part might pass the reorganization plan for other ministries in exchange for saving the Ministry of Unification.

Under the Article 30 of the National Government Organization Act, the Ministry of Unification is obliged to develop policies for national unification as well as inter-Korean dialogue, exchange and cooperation, provide education on unification, and take care of any other matters related to unification. As of now, the ministry has 550 staff members.

The prototype of the present Ministry of Unification is the National Unification Board which was founded in March, 1969. The Board had 45 staff members and its main tasks were research, education and publicity. When the Secretariat of South-North Dialogue was established in 1980, the Board became an official ministry as it took over the secretariat from the National Security Agency and began to handle inter-Korean dialogue.

In 1990s, the ministry took on additional functions. It began to handle and coordinate the overall unification policy, deal with inter-Korean exchange and cooperation, and take care of dislocated North Koreans. Accordingly, its Korean name changed from Tongilbu (the Ministry of Unification) to Tonginwon (the Institute of Unification). In 1998, however, the ministry took back its former Korean name and has been using it since then. The ministry with its 39 years of history is on the verge of demise.