Yoon Seok-yeol "Jang Je-won as Presidential Chief of Staff? Baseless Rumor"

Jang Je-won "I Will Return to Yeouido"
Yoon Avoids Direct Answer on Jang Sung-min Speculation

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] On the 5th, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol dismissed rumors that Rep. Jang Je-won of the People Power Party, who is the chief of staff for the president-elect, is being considered for the position of Chief of Staff to the President as "baseless talk."

When reporters asked President-elect Yoon at the tent press room set up in front of the transition office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, in the afternoon whether he was considering Rep. Jang for the Chief of Staff position, he said, "(Rep. Jang) is a current lawmaker," dismissing the speculation.

Earlier that day, Rep. Jang also told reporters in front of the transition office, "Regarding the Chief of Staff, we intend to invite someone with proven political acumen and experience after multiple visits," adding, "My intention to appoint truly good people without personal bias to serve the president and then return to Yeouido remains unchanged."

He continued, "I hope there is someone with verified political sense and experience, so I am contacting several people, and those contacted are also considering it," and requested, "I hope I am not mentioned in relation to the Chief of Staff position."

Accordingly, it appears that People Power Party lawmakers such as Kwon Young-se and Lee Cheol-gyu, who were mentioned as candidates for Chief of Staff, are also excluded from consideration. Since the Chief of Staff and other aides are not members of the State Council, they cannot concurrently hold a seat in the National Assembly.

When asked about the possibility of Jang Sung-min, the president-elect’s political advisor who served as the Blue House National Situation Room Chief during the Kim Dae-jung administration, being a strong candidate for Chief of Staff, President-elect Yoon laughed heartily and avoided a direct answer by saying, "Is that okay then?" without confirming or denying.

Advisor Jang served as the inaugural National Situation Room Chief under the Kim Dae-jung administration and was a member of the 16th National Assembly. It is also known that during the presidential campaign, President-elect Yoon asked Advisor Jang to give candid advice without holding back.

When reporters asked if there are criteria for selecting the Chief of Staff, President-elect Yoon replied, "I will work well with a very capable person who can serve the people well."