South Korea Expands Economic Security Supply Chain Committee Under Amended Decree

South Korea moved to tighten its economic security architecture on 6 October 2026, promulgating an amendment to the enforcement decree of its supply chain stabilization law that adds the budget minister to the top supply chain committee and doubles the size of its expert panel. The measure, Presidential Decree No. 36742, was published in the Official Gazette (관보) No. 21334 and entered into force on the day of promulgation.

The amendment revises the Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Support for Supply Chain Stabilization for Economic Security (「경제안보를 위한 공급망 안정화 지원 기본법 시행령」). It was deliberated by the State Council (국무회의) and promulgated by President Lee Jae-myung (이재명), with the countersignature of Prime Minister Han Seong-sook (한성숙) and Minister of Economy and Finance Lee Hyung-il (이형일). According to the official statement of reasons, the changes are intended to strengthen the deliberation and coordination function on economic security supply chains and to remedy shortcomings identified in the operation of the existing system.

Committee and expert panel expanded

• Article 4(1), new subparagraph 11-2: the Minister of Planning and Budget (기획예산처장관) is added as a member of the Supply Chain Stabilization Committee (공급망안정화위원회).
• Article 10(2): the number of expert committee members is raised from 10 to 20, and the committee must now be composed “in consideration of gender.”
• Article 10, new paragraph 8: the chair of the expert committee may, when necessary, allow persons who are not members to attend meetings or adjust the scope of attendance.

New institutions for surveys and early warning

The decree also widens the pool of institutions that can be entrusted with supply chain monitoring work.

• Article 12(2), subparagraph 1: “Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (산업연구원)” is replaced by “Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (대외경제정책연구원), Korea Institute for Industrial Economics and Trade (산업연구원).”
• Article 12(2), new subparagraph 4: the Trade Security Management Institute (무역안보관리원) under Article 25 of the Foreign Trade Act.
• Article 12(2), new subparagraph 5: the Defense Technology Quality Agency (국방기술품질원) under Article 32 of the Defense Acquisition Program Act.
• Article 35(1), subparagraph 1: the same addition of the Korea Institute for International Economic Policy; former subparagraphs 6 to 8 are renumbered 8 to 10.
• Article 35(1), new subparagraphs 6 and 7: the Trade Security Management Institute and the Defense Technology Quality Agency.

Under the stated purpose of the amendment, these bodies may be entrusted with conducting supply chain status surveys and with compiling supply chain statistics and operating and managing the early warning system.

Immediate effect

The supplementary provisions state that the decree takes effect from the date of promulgation, 6 October 2026, with no transition period.

For readers, the change gives the budget authority a seat in supply chain deliberations, doubles the expert capacity behind those decisions, and brings three research and security institutions into the state’s monitoring network — a broader institutional base for detecting and responding to supply disruptions.

Source: 관보 (Official Gazette of the Republic of Korea), No. 21334, 6 October 2026, Presidential Decree No. 36742 (official reference: 대통령령 제36742호).