Presidential agendas in statutory interpretation: A case study of the Ministry of Government Legislation of Korea (MGLK)

Abstract

In this study, we examined how and whether a government organisation aligns with a presidential agenda. At all stages of the policy development process, the president interacts with government bodies, despite the principle of the separation of powers. Moreover, in any government organisation, policy implementation begins with interpreting the president's agenda and preferences, given that state administration policy is presented as the law only after the legislature's deliberation and resolution. Our study's premise is that the president's policy agenda preferences and the bureaucratic agency's willingness to act are the drivers of statutory interpretation, which is often neglected but is nonetheless crucial to administrative decision‐making. In addition to interpreting the statutes, the Ministry of Government Legislation of Korea (MGLK) is also a conduit for presidential policy; as such, the MGLK can significantly impact policy formulation and implementation.