Lee Jun-seok "Moon-Yoon Conflict, Are They Deliberately Creating Issues with the New Government Ahead of the June Election?"

"Firm Positions of President-Elect and Transition Team on 'Office Relocation'"

Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, is attending the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 21st and delivering an opening remark. Photo by Yoon Dong-joo doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Lee Jun-seok, leader of the People Power Party, commented on the ongoing conflict between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, saying, "I wonder if they are deliberately creating contentious issues with the new government in mind for the June 1 local elections."

On the 24th, Lee stated on KBS Radio's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strongest Current Affairs,' "I do not want to judge the current actions of President Moon and the Democratic Party as political just yet," but added this remark.

Currently, President Moon and President-elect Yoon's sides are clashing over the appointment of the new Bank of Korea governor. On the 23rd, the Blue House stated, "We have gathered the opinions of President-elect Yoon," while on the same day, Jang Je-won, chief secretary to Yoon, refuted this by saying, "The Blue House called 10 minutes before the announcement to inform us that they would make the announcement."

Regarding this, Lee said, "Consultation is different from agreement. From the perspective of the party that was unilaterally informed of the consultation rather than an agreement, the usual response is, 'They won't listen anyway, so why bother?'" He added, "There is some discrepancy between the thoughts of Chief Secretary Jang Je-won and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Lee Cheol-hee about what exact communication took place, but the consultation itself reflects the intentions of President Moon, who currently holds the appointment authority."

Lee continued, "The Bank of Korea governor or audit committee members hold key national positions," and said, "The transition team seems to be raising concerns about whether it is appropriate for the outgoing government, which is in the transition phase with only a month or two left in its term, to make appointments that burden the incoming government." He also pointed out, "The same applies to appointments in public enterprises; it is problematic if they become 'stalemate appointments.' While it is not right to remove existing appointees just because the administration has changed, conversely, making appointments to currently vacant positions for a month or two according to the outgoing government's wishes could set a precedent."

Regarding the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan, he said, "The president-elect and the transition team seem to have a firm stance on the Yongsan office relocation," and added, "Having a separate law concerning the presidential transition is broadly interpreted as the current government being obliged to assist the next government’s launch." This implies that the current government should approve the expenditure of contingency funds necessary for the office relocation.

Addressing concerns about a security vacuum due to the office relocation, he explained, "From the time the president’s pledge was made, many advisors, including former Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin, who was a general and the highest national security official, as well as the soon-to-be National Security Office chief, have provided advice," and confirmed, "After listening to their advice, it has been assured that no security vacuum will occur."