[Inside Chodong] The Transition Committee's "Shovel"

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] The Presidential Transition Committee (Transition Committee), which started with a loud declaration of not entering the Blue House, has completed its first round of work reports. It has been just ten days since a large number of personnel from the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, aiming to dismantle the regulatory fortress built up layer by layer over the past five years by the current government, were positioned.

Along with analyses calling it the "return of conservative policies," efforts have begun to find the new administration’s blueprint in the past actions of the transition committee members. The promotion plan named ‘Shovel’ has turned regulations into mere aftereffects, and the work reports have effectively sentenced the current government’s policies to a limited lifespan.

However, the insider from a certain ministry who delivered the work report expressed a sentiment that differs from the atmosphere known outside: "They are too obsessed with fulfilling campaign promises." The transition committee, which must establish mid- to long-term national governance policies, is criticized for hastening only the preparation of measures to achieve the president-elect’s campaign promises by fixating on the fulfillment rate of those promises.

The reason can be found in the historically narrow margin of 0.73 percentage points in the presidential election. Because there are more citizens who do not support President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol than those who do, it seems they have chosen the path that can gain the fastest recognition from the non-supporting groups.

This also explains why the transition committee insists on a ‘direct pitch’ approach amid ongoing controversies such as the relocation of the presidential office to Yongsan and refusal to report on the Ministry of Justice’s work. In seeking only shortcuts, problems have arisen at critical junctures that require careful examination. Unlike the Lee Myung-bak transition committee, which approached economic regulations by ‘pulling out utility poles,’ or the Park Geun-hye transition committee, which targeted ‘splinters under the fingernails,’ President-elect Yoon’s transition committee is solely focused on opposing the current government.

Concerns are also raised because the first targets are areas most sensitive to the public, such as real estate policies and quarantine measures. Although the goal is to accelerate the ‘great transformation’ and ‘deregulation,’ if these are pushed through and announced to the public overnight, side effects are inevitable.

The transition committee must also reflect on the fact that the momentum of regime change has faded. According to a Gallup poll released last week, only 55% of respondents believe President-elect Yoon will lead the country well over the next five years. In comparison, polls conducted within two weeks of previous presidents’ elections showed 84% for former President Lee, 78% for former President Park, and 87% for President Moon Jae-in.

A president’s campaign promises are a pledge to the people and should be kept. However, it is practically impossible for President-elect Yoon to fully implement all the promises contained in the 350-page document with a total budget of 260 trillion won. According to the Citizens’ Coalition for Economic Justice, the fulfillment rate of campaign promises in the fourth year of former President Park’s administration was 41%, and 39% for former President Lee. The late former Presidents Roh Moo-hyun (43%) and Kim Dae-jung (18%) were not much different. We already know that, like President Moon, President-elect Yoon will not be able to keep all his promises.

The honeymoon period that the transition committee could have enjoyed after the unfavorable election and the clash between old and new powers has effectively disappeared. In the National Assembly, tensions are already rising over legislative amendments, and immediately after the president’s inauguration, another power struggle is expected due to local elections.

Now is the time to properly select the essential tasks among the approximately 200 campaign promises of the president-elect. Identifying promises that can receive strong public support and improving them, while postponing those that inevitably involve partisan conflict until after the general election, is necessary to maintain momentum in national governance. A lawmaker who left the People Power Party remarked on President-elect Yoon’s phrase ‘into the hearts of the people,’ saying it is "a matter of the heart rather than space." This means that a constant attitude of communication and willingness to answer questions is the way to reach out to citizens weary of communication breakdowns.