Kwon Young-se "Political Appointees of Moon Administration Need to Consider Their Positions"

"Yoon's Consistent and Clear Stance on the Abolition of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family"

Vice Chairman Kwon Young-se of the Presidential Transition Committee.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid controversy over the 'entrenchment personnel appointments' at public institutions during the final phase of the Moon Jae-in administration, on the 15th, Kwon Young-se, Vice Chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, stated that public institution and public enterprise personnel appointed by the current government "should consider their own positions."

In an interview with MBN that night, Vice Chairman Kwon said, "I think it is problematic to simply dismiss those with fixed terms. However, in the case of so-called politically appointed staff, they need to consider their own positions."

He added, "The formal personnel authority naturally lies with the current president, President Moon Jae-in, and his administration," but emphasized, "Most of the work will be done with the new government, right? The outgoing government and the newly launched government should cooperate well on personnel matters, borrowing the authority of the current Moon Jae-in administration's personnel but ensuring that the content fully reflects the intentions of the new government."

Regarding President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's pledge to abolish the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, he said, "I received about 1,000 text messages today. About 700 were against abolition, and around 300 were in favor," adding, "The president-elect's position has been consistently clear."

He continued, "Abolishing the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family does not mean ignoring the difficulties women face. For example, if there is a glass ceiling, it must be broken," and added, "We must also sufficiently consider the difficulties that men in their 20s and 30s face due to quotas and the legacy of quotas, so ultimately, this should be resolved from the perspective of fairness and justice."

Regarding the issue of pardoning former President Lee Myung-bak, he said, "The pardon issue is the president's prerogative and a matter to be discussed between the president-elect and the current president," but added, "It would be good if President Moon grants the pardon before leaving office." When asked about the suggestion that it should be done together with the pardon of former Gyeongnam Governor Kim Kyung-soo, he dismissed it as "a separate matter."