Repeated Difficulties in Yoon-Moon Meeting
Possibility of Presidential Chief of Staff Dismissed
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi] Jang Je-won, chief of staff to the president-elect, maintained a tough stance regarding the meeting between President Moon Jae-in and President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, stating that he "has not received any calls or messages (from the Blue House)."
On the 25th, after meeting with Park Hong-geun, the newly appointed floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, Jang told reporters that regarding President Moon’s message, "I hope the president-elect will make the judgment directly," he said, "there has been no contact yet."
When asked by reporters if they had ever reached out first, he retorted, "Is it right to be the one to initiate contact?"
President Moon and President-elect Yoon had originally planned a luncheon meeting on the 16th, but it fell through just four hours before it was scheduled. Since then, the Blue House and the transition team have faced conflicts over issues such as the relocation of the presidential office and the appointment authority of the Bank of Korea governor.
On the same day, Jang completely denied reports that he would be appointed as the chief of staff for the next government. He said, "When I was nominated by the president-elect as chief of staff, I told him, 'I will build a good new government, serve the president-elect, and then return to Yeouido.' That thought has not changed at all, and I plan to select three to five excellent candidates for chief of staff to report to the president-elect."
Regarding the prime minister appointment, he explained, "I have not yet reported that to the president-elect. I plan to recommend various people from diverse fields. The basic personnel principle is not to practice 'rewarding merit with office' (non-gong-haeng-sang)." About the timing of the appointment, he said, "The prime minister confirmation process takes about 35 days. I plan to have the nominee selected and verified in time to announce without delay."
Regarding the high public opposition to the 'relocation of the presidential office,' he maintained the president-elect’s position without yielding. Jang said, "I think there has not been enough time to persuade the public. Most people agree with the intention to move forward with the people while giving up the absolute power of the Blue House. If we explain in detail to the public why Yongsan, I believe the public will permit it." On concerns about timing and other issues, he repeatedly said, "We will strengthen communication."
He added, "The president-elect has never stopped answering questions from reporters until there are no more questions at press conferences. He plans to continue to treat reporters and the public with such humility."
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