Ahn Cheol-soo "Chu Kyung-ho, Lee Tae-gyu, Choi Jong-hak Appointed as Planning and Coordination Subcommittee Transition Members" (Comprehensive)

Economic Sector: Choo Kyung-ho, Non-Economic Sector: Lee Tae-gyu in Charge
Accounting Expert Choi Jong-hak, Seoul National University Professor, Appointed

Ahn Cheol-soo, leader of the People Power Party and appointed chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee for President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, holds a press briefing at the National Assembly on the 14th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok, Lee Hyun-joo, Kwon Hyun-ji] Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the presidential transition committee, announced on the 14th, "We have appointed Rep. Choo Kyung-ho and Rep. Lee Tae-gyu of the People Power Party, and Professor Choi Jong-hak of Seoul National University as members of the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee of the transition committee." Regarding rumors about the prime minister appointment, Chairman Ahn avoided a direct answer, saying, "I have no time to be distracted or entertain other thoughts."

At a press conference held at the National Assembly on the same day, Chairman Ahn explained the background of the early announcement of the appointments by stating, "The Planning and Coordination Subcommittee is the first to start work because it establishes the overall operational plan and sets activity guidelines."

He introduced the roles by saying, "The three members will discuss national tasks, philosophy, and governance together; Rep. Choo will handle the practical economic sector, and Rep. Lee will be responsible for non-economic areas." Regarding the inclusion of Professor Choi, who was not initially mentioned in public opinion, Chairman Ahn said, "Professor Choi is a renowned accounting expert and author of the influential 'Manage by the Numbers' series, whose work has been practically reflected in corporate and government economic laws." He added, "The reason we invited Professor Choi to the Planning and Coordination Subcommittee is because he possesses the ability to extract infinite information from seemingly meaningless numbers."

He continued, "The fate of a nation depends on who manages it and how," and introduced Professor Choi by saying, "We expect him to provide insightful perspectives by examining national finances and identifying overlooked areas, helping the Yoon Seok-yeol administration operate more efficiently." Chairman Ahn also said, "Professor Choi is not only skilled with numbers but has also accumulated a great deal of humanities knowledge, so we hope he will play an important role in branding the Yoon Seok-yeol administration’s national philosophy and vision."

When asked about being mentioned as a prime minister candidate, Chairman Ahn responded, "There are people talking about the prime minister now, but I only have the mindset to focus on the tasks I am currently responsible for," adding, "Since this work involves properly understanding our national tasks and drawing important blueprints, I have absolutely no room to be distracted or entertain other thoughts."

Before announcing the appointments, Chairman Ahn presented five tasks for operating the transition committee under the grand principle of ‘restoring fairness, rule of law, and democracy.’

He stated, "We will seriously recognize the demands of the times and the will of the people in line with global trends and will discover and create essential national tasks."

He emphasized the restoration of fairness, rule of law, and democracy by saying, "Everyone must be equal before the law without favoritism toward allies or blaming the opposition."

He added, "We must establish the foundation for future food sources and jobs," and said, "The next president must lead the Fourth Industrial Revolution era and definitely create the foundation for new era food sources and future jobs."

He also expressed, "I believe the failure of balanced regional development is one of the fundamental causes that have worsened the low birthrate phenomenon," and stressed, "Balanced regional development is an essential task for the future of the Republic of Korea."

He highlighted the necessity of ‘pension reform’ as well. Chairman Ahn explained, "Among OECD countries, we have the fastest increase in debt, and fiscal soundness is rapidly deteriorating," adding, "We must find solutions to the low birthrate and aging population issues. Carbon neutrality is also a task we must strive to achieve for our children."

Chairman Ahn also mentioned ‘national unity.’ He said, "No country has overcome crises while its people were divided." He continued, "Now, South Korea must gather the wisdom of all citizens on how to survive amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the scientific and technological hegemony war between the U.S. and China," and emphasized, "Resolving ideological, regional, generational, and class conflicts that are widespread throughout our society and achieving national unity are the only ways to overcome the current crisis."

"Among the various announced pledges, we will look for feasible solutions, prepare several options, and then set the direction according to the winner’s intentions," he said.

When reporters asked about coordination issues between the People Power Party and the People’s Party’s pledges at the press briefing in the National Assembly, Chairman Ahn said, "The degree of exact alignment between pledges and national tasks is about 50% in past governments," adding, "To my recollection, the Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations had about 50%, and the Roh Moo-hyun administration about 60%. The Moon Jae-in administration, which operated without a transition committee, incorporated almost all pledges into major national policies, resulting in many side effects," and said, "Many mistakes of the Moon Jae-in administration stemmed from that."

Regarding whether Yoon’s pledges could be discarded, he stated, "It’s not about discarding but about reporting various possible policy directions and having President-elect Yoon choose the appropriate ones."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.