Im Tae-hee: "Yoon is a more forceful straight-shooter than MB"

"The Most Urgent Issue in the Moon-Yoon Meeting"

Special Advisor to President-elect Im Tae-hee

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Woo-seok] Lim Tae-hee, special advisor to President-elect who served as Chief of Staff at the Blue House during the Lee Myung-bak administration, analyzed Yoon Seok-yeol by saying, "The strong drive is a common trait with MB," but also noted, "(President-elect Yoon) seems to have a style of moving forward even more forcefully."

On the 23rd, Special Advisor Lim appeared on KBS Radio's 'Joo Jin-woo Live' and said, "(President-elect Yoon) basically listens a lot and also expresses his own opinions frequently," adding, "Because he has such a straightforward style, those who make suggestions need to be very persistent to be effective with him."

Regarding the issue of relocating the presidential office, he said, "(President-elect Yoon) really needs to reform the Blue House structure to end the era of an authoritarian presidency. It is also a very core pledge for his new style of politics. Therefore, this must be upheld. It seems to be like that," and added, "The intention is very good, but if there is even a slight setback, it will cause damage. So I think it must be pursued very delicately."

Concerning the delay in the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon, he urged, "The most urgent matter for the transition committee right now is for the two to meet," and said, "The two should agree on the overall framework for the transition and the basic direction, and this intention should be clearly communicated to the working-level officials on both sides so that any discussions are based on the spirit of agreement between the two."

Special Advisor Lim expressed, "During President Lee Myung-bak's term, President Moon Jae-in was the Chief of Staff at the Blue House," and added, "(At that time) they met and consulted on various matters without much difficulty, and many issues were resolved. I believe such scenes should happen quickly (even now). It is regrettable."