Ministry of Justice headquarters in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province / Korea Times file

The planned launch of an immigration agency, a campaign pledge by President Yoon Suk Yeol, appears to have stalled, as the government shifts focus to establishing a population ministry that would also be tasked with handling immigration policies.

Critics argue that over two years into Yoon's presidency, the government still lacks a cohesive approach to immigration, which is a crucial component to addressing Korea's population crisis.

Earlier on Monday, the government announced plans to launch a deputy prime minister-level ministry tasked with addressing the low birthrate and aging population, tentatively named the Ministry of Population Strategy Planning. This organization will serve as a control tower for demographic issues, including the low birthrate, aging population, workforce and immigration.

"This ministry will be tasked with developing workforce plans tailored to sector-specific labor demands, including for women, foreigners and older adults, as well as shaping immigration policies," Kim Jung-ki, director of the organization bureau at the Ministry of the Interior and Safety, said during a briefing.

Kim also mentioned that the population ministry would oversee preparations for the potential launch of the immigration agency.

The announcement, which came amid the government's efforts to establish the immigration agency under the Ministry of Justice, has left experts puzzled about whether the population ministry will take over immigration-related policies from the justice ministry.

"From my understanding, the population ministry will be responsible for developing comprehensive immigration plans from a population perspective, while the immigration agency, after it is launched, will focus on implementing these policies," said Yoo Min-yi, a research fellow at the Seoul-based Migration Research and Training Center.

However, Yoo noted that progress on the immigration agency has been slow, saying, "The ball now seems to be in the National Assembly's court, but we are not seeing meaningful legislative efforts."

Creating the immigration agency was a campaign pledge of President Yoon. With about 2.5 million foreign nationals residing in the nation — accounting for roughly 5 percent of the total 51.5 million population — Korea has been facing an increasing need to pursue cohesive immigration policies by creating a separate government entity.

Former interim leader of the ruling People Power Party (PPP) Han Dong-hoon speaks to reporters after completing the candidate registration for the PPP's leadership race at the party's office in Yeouido, Seoul, June 25. Yonhap

Former Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon spearheaded initial efforts for the launch of the immigration agency. He served as the inaugural justice minister of the Yoon administration until December 2023 before entering politics with the ruling People Power Party (PPP).

In December 2023, the ministry outlined plans for the immigration agency to implement unified immigration policies, strengthen border controls and support immigrant integration.

Following this, in February this year, lawmakers from the PPP proposed an amendment to the Government Organization Act, which aimed to establish the immigration agency under the justice ministry.

However, the bill faltered as the 21st National Assembly concluded in May.

In the current 22nd Assembly, discussions about the immigration agency have stagnated.

An immigration expert, who requested anonymity, attributed the stalled discussions to political considerations. He suggested that lawmakers seem to be prioritizing their own political interests over policy advancement.

"Since the idea of launching the immigration agency was championed by former Minister Han, who has now become a prominent figure within the ruling party, lawmakers who do not support him seem to be approaching the idea cautiously, mindful of its potential to serve Han's political interests. Once the immigration agency is launched, Han may take all the credit for it," the expert said.

"I've also heard that the policy lost momentum within the justice ministry after Han left."

Moon Byung-ki, former head of the Korean International Migration Studies Association, called for the swift launch of the immigration agency through cooperation with the government and the Assembly, advocating for an integrated approach to foreigner-related policies.

"Instead of announcing short-term policies and creating committees scattered across several ministries, there should be a pan-governmental body to foster foreigner-related policies in the long term," Moon said.

A justice ministry official told The Korea Times in an email that it will "continue efforts to reintroduce the amendment to the Government Organization Act for the establishment of the agency by continuing discussions with members of the 22nd National Assembly and relevant ministries."