Full-scale work to start by early next week
Formed faster than during former President Park's administration
Experts from the People Power Party's election headquarters
Large-scale involvement of transition team expected
An announces planning committee secretary directly
New recruitments depend on An's intentions
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at his office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Photo by National Assembly Press Photographers Group
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Hyun-joo] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol appointed former New Politics Alliance for Democracy leader Kim Han-gil as the Chair of the Presidential Transition Committee's National Integration Committee and Professor Kim Byung-joon of Kookmin University as the Chair of the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development on the 14th.
Presidential Transition Committee Chair Ahn Cheol-soo is expected to appoint Chu Kyung-ho, the Floor Deputy Leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Tae-gyu, a member of the People’s Party, as the secretary and member of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee, respectively, possibly as early as this afternoon.
The transition committee plans to complete the personnel appointments this week and begin full-scale operations next week. If the inauguration ceremony for the transition committee is held in the latter half of this week, as spokesperson Kim Eun-hye of President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol stated, the committee will be operational about ten days after the election. The acceleration in appointing committee members is to emphasize the image of a government that works efficiently. Spokesperson Kim said in a briefing this morning, "The inauguration ceremony is usually held at the conclusion of the transition committee’s work, but we intend to proceed with a sense of urgency."
If the schedule proceeds as planned, the transition committee will start eight days earlier than when former President Park Geun-hye’s transition committee began ten years ago. It took 18 days from the election day for Park Geun-hye’s transition committee to start. Former President Lee Myung-bak completed his final appointments within a week after being elected on December 19, 2007, while former President Roh Moo-hyun took 11 days. Chair Ahn Cheol-soo is expected to announce the secretary and members of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee among the seven subcommittees this afternoon. A People Power Party official said, "We understand that Chair Ahn will directly announce Chu Kyung-ho as the secretary of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee and Lee Tae-gyu of the People’s Party as a member." Chair Ahn had tea time this morning with President-elect Yoon, Vice Chair Kwon Young-se, and Planning Committee Chair Won Hee-ryong.
Most subcommittees are also understood to be in the final stages of personnel appointments. To continue the policies proposed during the candidate period, many experts who participated in the People Power Party’s election campaign headquarters are expected to be deployed to the transition committee. In the field of foreign affairs and security, Professor Kim Sung-han of Korea University (former Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs), who has supported the president-elect since the early days of his political career, is being considered. For science, technology, and education, Professor Kim Chang-kyung of Hanyang University (former Vice Minister of Education, Science and Technology) and former People’s Party member Shin Yong-hyun, who focused on creating the ‘Digital Platform’ pledge during the candidate period, are mentioned.
In the economic subcommittee, Choi Sang-mok, President of Nonghyup University (former 1st Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance), and Professor Kim So-young of Seoul National University are prominent candidates. In the social welfare and culture subcommittee, People Power Party member Kim Mi-ae, who led ‘Walking with the Vulnerable,’ and Professor Ahn Sang-hoon of Seoul National University are considered strong contenders.
Yoo Sang-bum is a strong candidate for the political, judicial, and administrative subcommittee, but there are concerns within the People Power Party about the vacancy in the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee secretary position, to which Yoo was nominated. However, a source close to President-elect Yoon said, "Previously, Vice Chair Kwon Young-se held both the party secretary-general and election campaign headquarters chief positions and was praised for better communication with the party, so dual roles might be possible."
Among the three special committees of the transition committee, Chair Ahn will concurrently serve as the Chair of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee. With the appointments of the National Integration Committee Chair and the Special Committee on Regional Balanced Development Chair finalized, the transition committee’s personnel composition is gaining momentum.
Whether additional personnel announcements will be made today and the possibility of new figures being recruited ultimately depend on Chair Ahn’s intentions. Although the president-elect’s wishes strongly influence the transition committee’s appointments, the approval of the transition committee chair is required procedurally. A source close to President-elect Yoon said, "Since the approval process by Chair Ahn must be followed, the personnel list cannot be finalized prematurely," adding, "Some individuals not included in the transition committee may directly move to the Blue House or the cabinet."
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