[Tonguidong 24 Hours] 'Bullying the Buddha, Yelling at Assembly Members'... Transition Team in Turmoil

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is leaving the office of the 20th Presidential Transition Committee, set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to attend an external schedule on the 29th.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Noise is growing inside and outside the Presidential Transition Committee. Following the revelation by lawyer Jo Sang-gyu, who was a working member of the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee before being dismissed, incidents exposing the committee's absurdities and inefficiencies?such as a lawmaker's outburst and the employment of a namesake expert member?have been consecutively uncovered.

According to sources inside and outside the committee on the 30th, during the Ministry of Education's transition committee briefing on the 25th, when People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Gyeong-hee made remarks related to the 'Jeon-gyo-jo' (Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union) to ministry officials, transition committee member Kim Chang-gyeong from the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee reportedly scolded her.

Lawyer Jo said, "When Lawmaker Jeong spoke, Member Kim twice asked her 'Please do not say such things,' but when she continued, he shouted," adding, "Still, since she is a representative of the people, I thought (the committee member) was quite something." Another lawmaker who participated in the briefing acknowledged the facts but said, "No matter who the lawmaker is, it is right not to make sensitive remarks during a transition committee briefing," and added, "Member Kim acted from that perspective (to impose sanctions)."

Controversy over power abuse within the committee also surfaced. Lawyer Jo claimed that Member Kim scolded ministry officials during the Korea Communications Commission briefing for not watching a broadcast he appeared on and that he conducted a mental education session alone for ministry staff 30 minutes before the Ministry of Education briefing. He also pointed out that "after leaving only three transition committee members in the briefing room and dismissing everyone else, the meeting proceeded in secrecy," criticizing that the transition committee had become a personal subcommittee of individual members.

The bad relationship between lawyer Jo and committee Vice Chairman Lawmaker Kwon Young-se was also revealed. The two reportedly fell out while competing in the Future United Party primary in Yongsan, Seoul, during the 21st general election. While Lawmaker Kwon was quarantined due to COVID-19, lawyer Jo joined the transition committee, and their first meeting at the workshop on the 26th confirmed their presence, leading to the dismissal controversy.

It was also reported that a namesake mistakenly came as an expert member to the Science, Technology, and Education Subcommittee, worked for three days, and was replaced belatedly.

Additionally, there are complaints that party influence outweighed expertise in the appointment of expert and working members across subcommittees, and that factional strife between People Power Party and People Party members has reduced work efficiency. The transition committee is composed of 16 members from the People Power Party and 8 from the People Party. A committee official lamented, "Unlike past transition committees, there is a sense of alienation during the work process," and added, "Candid discussions are difficult."