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| President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks during a press conference at the People Power Party's headquarters in Seoul, Sunday, to name the chairperson and the vice chairperson of the presidential transition committee. Yonhap |
Kwon Young-se, Won Hee-ryong to join committee
By Kang Seung-woo
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol appointed, Sunday, Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the minor opposition People's Party, to lead his transition committee.
Yoon also named People Power Party (PPP) Rep. Kwon Young-se and former Jeju Gov. Won Hee-ryong as the committee's vice chairperson and planning chief, respectively.
"As a competent government, we will serve the people and achieve national unity," Yoon said during a press conference at the PPP's headquarters in Seoul.
By choosing Ahn, Yoon is fulfilling his promise to launch a "coalition government" with his former campaign rival, who dropped out of the presidential race to lend support to the PPP candidate. On March 3, when announcing a candidacy merger deal, they agreed to consult on everything from the makeup of the transition committee to the composition of the joint government.
"Ahn and I have shared the same value and philosophy on running the country. He is determined to lead the transition team and I also believe he is a perfect fit," Yoon said. Yoon and Ahn held a closed-door meeting Friday.
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| From left are Ahn Cheol-soo, Kwon Young-se and Won Hee-ryong / Yonhap |
Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said the appointment of Ahn was aimed at compensating Yoon's shortcomings, along with his promise to launch a coalition government.
"During the election, his merger with Ahn helped Yoon earn support from centrist voters in the closely contested election and considering it, Yoon seems to want Ahn to act as a link for national unity to some extent," he told a TV interview.
"In addition, Yoon's weakness is the economy and Ahn is expected to offset it."
Ahead of the personnel announcement, there had been rumors that Kwon turned down the offer for the vice chairmanship. Kwon, a four-term lawmaker, served as Yoon's campaign chief during the election period.
"An experienced politician, Kwon displayed a capable and stable style of leadership on the campaign trail. Together with Ahn, Kwon is expected to successfully take charge of tasks related to the transition of power," Yoon said.
The job of the planning chief is to effectively fulfill Yoon's campaign pledges and reflect them into the government's policy tasks.
According to the president-elect, his transition team will be comprised of seven standing subcommittees, along with an advisory group for national unity and two special committees committed to the COVID-19 crisis and balanced regional growth.
Ahn, a doctor and entrepreneur-turned-politician, will double as the head of the COVID-19 task force that will handle issues that include compensation for small business owners who had to bear the brunt of the pandemic measures.
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| Yoon Suk-yeol, left, of the People Power Party and Ahn Cheol-soo of the People's Party participate in a joint election campaign in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, March 5. Yonhap |
Under the Presidential Transition Act, the committee consists of a chairperson, a vice chairperson and up to 24 committee members. It is in charge of forming a blueprint for the new administration. The committee is permitted to run for a period of 30 days after the new president is inaugurated.
Yoon, who is scheduled to take office May 10, plans to name other committee members later this week, according to his spokesperson Kim Eun-hye.
Yoon is also expected to meet with President Moon Jae-in as early as this week. He served as prosecutor general under the Moon administration.
Meanwhile, the President-elect was briefed Saturday about the situations in North Korea and Ukraine from National Security Director Suh Hoon, according to Cheong Wa Dae.
"It was aimed at helping Yoon cope with foreign and security issues amid fast-changing geopolitical situations," the presidential office said in a statement.
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