"Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering President Position in Sight"... Another Tense Exchange Between Blue House and Transition Committee (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House and the transition team, which have been engaged in a tug-of-war over the relocation of the presidential office and meetings, have clashed again over the appointment of the CEO of Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering (DSME). When the transition team criticized the appointment of Park Du-seon as the new CEO of DSME as a "preemptive appointment," the Blue House countered by accusing the transition team of coveting the CEO position at DSME.

On the 31st, Shin Hye-hyun, deputy spokesperson for the Blue House, responded in a written briefing, stating, "What DSME needs as its CEO is an internal management expert who can quickly revive the company amid the recovering shipbuilding market, not a position for which either the current or next government should be vying," directly rebutting the transition team.

Earlier that day, Won Il-hee, chief deputy spokesperson for the transition team, announced, "We will release the transition team's stance on the forced preemptive appointment," raising concerns that the new CEO Park is a college classmate of President Moon Jae-in's brother and decided to request an audit from the Board of Audit and Inspection.

In response, Deputy Spokesperson Shin said, "Since the transition team mentioned the president's name to criticize the appointment of DSME's CEO, I would like to clarify," adding, "It is surprising that the transition team was coveting the CEO position at DSME."

This implies that the transition team’s labeling of Park’s appointment as a "preemptive" move stemmed from their own interest in the DSME CEO position.

As the Blue House counterattacked the transition team’s objections, the reconciliation mood fostered during the dinner meeting on the 28th has faded, increasing the likelihood of continued clashes between the old and new powers.

Particularly, with the issue of costs related to the relocation to Yongsan still unresolved, attention is focused on whether proper follow-up measures will be implemented. On the same day, spokesperson for President-elect Kim Eun-hye stated in a briefing with reporters that a meeting for follow-up actions regarding the Blue House meeting will take place soon.