Yoon Suk-yeol: "No Issues with Cabinet Appointments... An Will Not Be Upset"

Yoon "No fact of excluding specific personnel"
"I don't quite understand reporters' questions"

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is answering reporters' questions at the 3rd Cabinet announcement held at the 20th Presidential Transition Committee in Tongui-dong, Seoul, on the 14th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol responded to criticism that the exclusion of people from Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, in the new government’s ministerial appointments is shaking the plan for a joint government by saying, "There is no problem in the appointment process," and "I understand that he (Chairman Ahn) is not displeased."

On the afternoon of the 14th, at the third cabinet appointment announcement held at the transition committee press conference in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Yoon was asked about the plan for the joint government amid the exclusion of personnel from Chairman Ahn’s side, to which he replied accordingly.

Yoon said, "We received recommendations for cabinet appointments from various sources, and there was no exclusion of any particular individual," adding, "We carefully selected ministerial candidates by comparing the recommended individuals with the talent pool of our country."

Regarding Chairman Ahn’s complete cancellation of official schedules that day and the emerging conflict, Yoon emphasized again, "I don’t quite understand it," and said, "I received recommendations and explained how the appointment process is conducted, and I believe there is no problem with it."

He added, "I sufficiently explained to Chairman Ahn how the appointment process is carried out, and I understand that he is not displeased at all," and continued, "There was a report from a subcommittee yesterday, and it seems that his absence from that is being interpreted as a cancellation of schedule. I don’t know what he (Chairman Ahn) thought internally, but I don’t quite understand the reporters’ questions."

Chairman Ahn canceled his dinner schedule with President-elect Yoon the previous day and also canceled his morning visit to the fire policy site and attendance at the afternoon COVID-19 Emergency Response Special Committee meeting. This led to speculation inside and outside the transition committee that he might be showing discomfort over the exclusion of his side’s personnel from the cabinet appointments.

As of that day, President-elect Yoon had nominated candidates for ministers of a total of 18 ministries, but none were from Ahn Cheol-soo’s faction. On the 3rd of last month, ahead of the presidential election, Yoon and Chairman Ahn declared a unified candidacy and agreed on forming a joint government and merging the two parties after the election.