Jang Je-won: "Blue House Called 10 Minutes Before Bank of Korea Governor Announcement... Is Saying 'Seems Like a Good Person' Considered Consultation?"

Conflict Over Appointment of New Bank of Korea Governor
Blue House "Collected Opinions" VS Yoon-Elected Side Jang Je-won "Unilateral Announcement"

Jang Je-won, Chief of Staff to the President-elect, is arriving at his office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 15th./Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Jang Je-won, Chief Secretary to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, said regarding President Moon Jae-in's nomination of Lee Chang-yong, Director of the Asia-Pacific Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as the successor to Lee Ju-yeol, Governor of the Bank of Korea, "There was neither consultation nor recommendation." This was a direct rebuttal to the Blue House's position, which claimed to have gathered the opinion of the president-elect.

On the 23rd, Jang met with reporters in front of the Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul, and explained, "About 10 minutes before the announcement (regarding the Bank of Korea governor nomination), I received a call from the Blue House saying they would make the announcement, so I laughed and said, 'What are you talking about?'" He added, "They tried to make a unilateral announcement, so I said, 'Do as you please.' We said that this was a person we neither recommended nor agreed with."

Earlier that day, the Blue House announced the new Bank of Korea governor appointment, stating, "To minimize the vacancy of the Bank of Korea governor position, we announced the nominee after hearing the opinion of the president-elect's side."

Regarding this, Jang said, "When Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, asked, 'How about Lee Chang-yong?' I just said, 'He is a good person,' and that was it." He added, "Before discussing veto or approval, there was no consultation or recommendation process. What is the intention behind the Blue House saying they consulted?" He also said, "The media analyzes this as a gesture of reconciliation, but I cannot agree."

Furthermore, Jang criticized the Blue House, saying, "It only looks like they are trying to build a justification to forcibly appoint an Audit and Inspection Commissioner. I don't understand why they are doing this."

Regarding the president-elect's reaction, he said, "He laughed heartily and asked, 'Did Representative Jang Je-won recommend (the Bank of Korea governor)?'"