Journal of Legislation Research (법제연구)
- Issue 44
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- Pages.241-281
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- 2013
The Government Organization Act and the Desirable Government Structure in the 21st Century
21세기 바람직한 정부조직과 정부조직법
- Sung, Nak-In (Seoul National University School of Law)
- 성낙인 (서울대학교 법과대학)
- Received : 2013.06.10
- Accepted : 2013.06.27
- Published : 2013.06.30
Abstract
First and foremost, a discussion concerning government structure has to be done in connection with the state form and the governmental form. For practical reasons, there is a need to balance the principle of legality and its exceptions under the Government Organization Act. To ensure the flexibility of government structure with respect to the principle of legality, the National Assembly should accept the government structure requested by the newly elected government. This mitigates the rigidity of the principle of the legality within the government organizations. However, excessive changes by each government could violate the principle of legality asked by Constitution. In this sense, arbitrary modification with respect to the government structure by the newly elected government is not desirable. The long term stability of the government organization is required in any case. Secondly, general administrative agencies, other than Executive Ministries, should not be established under the direct order of the President without the control of the Prime Minister. A hierarchy of the executive branch (President->Prime Minister-> Executive Ministries) is stipulated in the Constitution. Establishing a hierarchy of President -> executive institution should be considered unconstitutional. Therefore, only the Presidential Secretariat and institutions with special functions can be established in the Presidential Office. Establishing general administrative agencies in the Presidential Office for convenience purposes is against the spirit of the current Constitution. Consequently, only the office of staffs and special agencies can be placed in the presidential office. It is against the spirit of the current Constitution to found administrative agencies under the presidential office for convenience. Thirdly, the office of the Prime Minister should be the backbone of internal affairs. In that sense, the President, as the head of state, should focus on the big picture such as the direction of the State, while the Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister should be responsible for the daily affairs of the State. The cabinet surrounding the Prime Minister must control all the ordinary affairs of the State, while the President, as the head of the State, should focus on the big picture of blueprinting the aim of the State. Lastly, the Office of the Prime Minister and Executive Ministries are the two main bodies of the executive branch. It is important to reduce the confusion caused by repeated changes in the names of Executive Ministries, to restore the traditional names and authorities of these institutions, and to rehabilitate the legitimacy of the State. For the Korean democracy to take its roots, a systematic way of stabilizing a law-governed democratic country is needed. There is also the need not only to reform security and economic agencies, but also to rationally solve the integration of technique and policy, according to the changes of time.
첫째, 정부조직은 그 출발에서부터 국가형태 정부형태와 연계되어 논의되어야 한다. 현실적으로는 정부조직 법정주의와 비법정주의의 조화가 필요하다. 우리의 정부조직 법정주의에서 정부조직의 유연성을 확보하기 위해서는 새 정부의 출범과 더불어 새 정부가 요구하는 정부조직을 의회는 가급적 수용하는 자세가 필요해 보인다. 이를 통해서 정부조직 법정주의의 경직성을 완화시켜 주어야 한다. 하지만 새 정부의 정부조직이 지나치게 많은 변화를 요구하는 것은 자칫 헌법이 추구하는 정부조직 법정주의의 본질을 훼손시킬 우려가 있다. 그런 점에서 새 정부의 지나치게 자의적인 정부조직 변경은 바람직하지 않다. 그 어떤 경우에도 정부조직은 장기적 안정성을 담보해야 한다. 둘째, 행정각부가 아닌 일반적인 행정기관은 국무총리의 통할을 받지 아니하고 대통령 직속으로 설치해서는 아니 된다. 헌법이 대통령
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