State Council

The State Council (국무회의), or usually called as the "Cabinet meeting", is an Constitutional organ in the Executive Branch. The State Council shall deliberate on important policies that fall within the power of the Executive. Constitution Article 88.

Key words
State Council, Cabinet meeting, President, Prime Minister

Composition
The State Council shall be composed of the President, the Prime Minister, and other members whose number shall be no more than thirty and no less than fifteen.

The President shall be the chairman of the State Council, and the Prime Minister shall be the Vice-Chairman.

Matters to be deliberated by the State Council
The following matters shall be referred to the State Council for deliberation: Constitution Article 89
 * 1) Basic plans for state affairs, and general policies of the Executive;
 * 2) Declaration of war, conclusion of peace and other important matters pertaining to foreign policy;
 * 3) Draft amendments to the Constitution, proposals for national referendums, proposed treaties, legislative bills, and proposed presidential decrees;
 * 4) Budgets, settlement of accounts, basic plans for disposal of state properties, contracts incurring financial obligation on the State, and other important financial matters;
 * 5) Emergency orders and emergency financial and economic actions or orders by the President, and declaration and termination of martial law;
 * 6) Important military affairs;
 * 7) Requests for convening an extraordinary session of the National Assembly;
 * 8) Awarding of honors;
 * 9) Granting of amnesty, commutation and restoration of rights;
 * 10) Demarcation of jurisdiction between Executive Ministries;
 * 11) Basic plans concerning delegation or allocation of powers within the Executive;
 * 12) Evaluation and analysis of the administration of State affairs;
 * 13) Formulation and coordination of important policies of each Executive Ministry;
 * 14) Action for the dissolution of a political party;
 * 15) Examination of petitions pertaining to executive policies submitted or referred to the Executive;
 * 16) Appointment of the Prosecutor General, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief of Staff of each armed service, the presidents of national universities, ambassadors, and such other public officials and managers of important State-run enterprises as designated by Act; and
 * 17) Other matters presented by the President, the Prime Minister or a member of the State Council.

In the News
Seoul Special City mayor is not a cabinet member but usually attends the meetings.

On November 8, 2011, President Lee Myung-bak had his first face-to-face encounter with new Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon during a cabinet meeting, a day after Park came out against President Lee’s push to ratify the Free Trade Agreement with the United States.

Park, who was elected with support from the main opposition Democratic Party in October 26 By-election, said that he opposed the trade pact and urged the government to reconsider a contentious provision in the deal, an unusual move by a local government official. President Lee and Mayor Park greeted each other with smiles and handshakes at a cabinet meeting. Ahead of the cabinet session, Lee and Park exchanged pleasantries, recalling the times when Lee was Seoul’s mayor and Park was a lawyer-turned-activist, and how they worked together.