[Exclusive] Cheong Policy Joint Public-Private Committee Likely to Move Under Secretary Office

The Chief Secretary Should Be a Person with High Understanding of State Affairs... Likely to Be Revealed After Finalizing Government Ministry Appointments

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is reviewing materials at the meeting with provincial governors held on the afternoon of the 6th at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Photo by Transition Committee Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol has decided to place the public-private joint committee responsible for policy functions under the Presidential Secretariat. Following the organizational slimming policy, the public-private joint committee will handle policy and work coordination, with the Secretariat overseeing the command structure. Accordingly, there is growing likelihood that a person with a strong understanding of not only political affairs but also policy will be appointed as the Chief of Staff. It is also anticipated that multiple joint committees may be formed for each national agenda.

A key official from the president-elect’s camp stated on the 8th, "The policy function will be handled by the public-private joint committee, but it will be under the Secretariat," adding, "The Chief of Staff will become the one-stop leader responsible for both policy and political affairs." Previously, the president-elect’s team decided to abolish the Policy Office, which is part of the current Blue House organization, while maintaining the policy coordination function.

The reason for involving the Chief of Staff in policy matters is the judgment that coordination is necessary in operating the public-private joint committee. The joint committee is President-elect Yoon’s plan to have experienced and recognized experts from the private sector and public officials discuss and develop policies together. Multiple committees may operate depending on the project. In this process, there is room for the Chief of Staff to coordinate to some extent.

However, regarding the public-private joint committee, the plan is to guarantee authority by granting voting rights to private experts, not just a simple advisory role. There is also discussion about appointing an operations director within the joint committee.

As the public-private joint committee is likely to be placed under the Secretariat, this is expected to be reflected in the appointment of the Chief of Staff. Former Financial Services Commission Chairman Lim Jong-ryong and former Korea Employers Federation Chairman Park Byung-won are being mentioned as candidates for the Presidential Chief of Staff. The appointee is expected to have a strong understanding of both political affairs and policy. A member of the Presidential Transition Committee said regarding the Chief of Staff appointment, "No specific criteria have been presented," adding, "We are trying to bring in someone with verified political sensibility and experience."

The Blue House organizational restructuring is expected to take shape after the government ministry appointments are finalized. Jang Je-won, the president-elect’s Chief of Staff, previously told reporters at the transition office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, "We plan to move toward a slimmer and much faster-working organization." Currently, it is highly likely that the Civil Affairs Office and the Second Secretariat will be abolished, and the title of Senior Secretary is expected to be changed to ‘Assistant Secretary.’