In the Press
Rival parties agree to endorse gov't plan to launch veterans affairs ministry, body for consular services
- Feb 28, 2023
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Officials of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party made the joint announcement after reaching an agreement to pass the plan through the National Assembly later this month.
The plan calls for upgrading the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, which currently holds administrative status as a sub-ministry-level government body, into an independent ministry. The promotion will empower the veterans affairs minister, who can now only sit in when the Cabinet convenes, to fully join the Cabinet's decision-making process.
The plan also aims to set up a new sub-ministry-level agency handling consular affairs and services under the foreign ministry.
The parties, however, failed to reach a consensus on whether to abolish the gender ministry.
Replacing the gender ministry with a lower level office under the interior ministry was one of President Yoon Suk Yeol's key election pledges, but the DP has opposed the idea, saying it could undermine the country's gender equality policy.
The matter will be further discussed by the floor leaders of the rival parties, along with the establishment of a space agency.
nyway@yna.co.kr
[Photo] Officials of the ruling People Power Party and the main opposition Democratic Party pose for a photo ahead of a joint meeting held at the National Assembly in western Seoul on Feb. 14, 2023. (Yonhap)