Presidential Office Denies Speculation on Park Young-sun and Yang Jeong-cheol
Various Figures Mentioned but No Clear Direction Yet
President Yoon Suk-yeol is speaking at the Cabinet meeting held on the 16th at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul. [Image source=Yonhap News]
President Yoon Suk-yeol, immersed in plans for future government reform following the crushing defeat in the April 10 general election, has had names of opposition figures who held key positions in the Moon Jae-in administration mentioned as potential successors for the Prime Minister and Chief of Staff posts. The scope of personnel reshuffling is expected to be significant. Since President Yoon directly expressed his stance at the Cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office the day before, saying, "I apologize to the people for not properly understanding and honoring the will of the people," interpretations suggest that he will demonstrate his determination for change through a personnel reshuffle that exceeds expectations.
The Presidential Office denied some media reports on the 17th that former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun and former Democratic Research Institute Director Yang Jeong-cheol are being seriously considered for the posts of Prime Minister and Chief of Staff, respectively. Earlier, some media outlets cited Presidential Office officials saying that President Yoon is seriously considering Park, a former minister from the Moon administration, as successor to Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who recently tendered his resignation, and Yang, a close aide to former President Moon Jae-in, as successor to Chief of Staff Lee Gwan-seop, for personnel reform purposes.
Former Minister Park is a four-term female lawmaker who served as Minister of SMEs and Startups during the Moon administration, and former Director Yang served as the Blue House Public Relations Planning Secretary during the Roh Moo-hyun administration and effectively led Moon Jae-in’s campaign for the 2017 presidential election as the Democratic Party candidate. Both individuals mentioned in the speculation are known to have had close ties with President Yoon since his days as a prosecutor, which has drawn political attention to the veracity of the reports.
As the backlash against the unexpected personnel cards intensified, the Presidential Office directly clarified the situation. The spokesperson’s office stated in a media release that "the appointments of former Minister Park and former Director Yang reported by some media have not been considered." While it cannot be completely ruled out that these names were suggested as one of the options given that cooperation with the opposition has become a top priority, the Presidential Office’s position is that the actual possibility of their appointment is very low.
A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "Doesn’t this mean the president’s determination for personnel reform is that strong?" adding, "Since this is the first personnel appointment to overcome the crisis following the general election defeat and to implement the major reform tasks the government is pursuing, it means we are approaching it with an open and cautious attitude."
Successor appointments as the first gauge of government operation... Emphasis on an open attitude
On the morning of the 16th, citizens at Seoul Station in Jung-gu, Seoul, are watching President Yoon Suk-yeol's opening remarks during the live broadcast of the Cabinet meeting. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The appointments of the successor Prime Minister and Chief of Staff could serve as a 'gauge' for future government operations. However, some speculate that the appointments may be delayed beyond expectations. This is because it is difficult to find a 'clever card' to break through the deadlock, as senior ruling party figures mentioned in the speculation are actively declining due to political interests and other considerations. The fact that close aides of the Moon administration are being mentioned and the Presidential Office has issued a denial statement reflects the atmosphere in Yongsan, where there is repeated deliberation over personnel decisions.
Currently, among the candidates for Prime Minister are Kim Han-gil, Chair of the National Integration Committee who has held various key opposition party positions, and Joo Ho-young, a six-term lawmaker from Daegu Suseong-gap and former judge from the People Power Party, but no clear decision has been made yet. Candidates for Chief of Staff include Kim Han-gil, former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong who lost in Incheon Gyeyang-eul, People Power Party lawmaker Jeong Jin-seok from Chungcheong, and former lawmaker Lee Jung-hyun who ran unsuccessfully in Jeonnam in the recent general election.
Park Ji-won, newly elected Democratic Party lawmaker from Haenam-Wando-Jindo in Jeonnam, appeared on the YouTube broadcast "Kim Eo-jun’s Humility is Difficult News Factory" on the morning of the same day and said regarding the speculation about opposition figures such as former Minister Park, former Director Yang, and lawmaker Kim Jong-min, "If President Yoon leaves the People Power Party and forms a national unity cabinet through a summit meeting with Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party could cooperate with the confirmation."
Lee Jun-seok, leader of the Reform New Party, criticized on his Facebook that day, "At the beginning of his term, only the Lee Myung-bak (MB) faction New Right was appointed, earning him the nickname 'MB avatar,' and now is it the 'Moon Jae-in avatar'?" He added, "Now I understand why conservative figures were so oppressed and driven out within the party from the start of his term."
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