An Suggests Policy Changes, Multiple Proposals Prepared as Yoon Likely to Choose

Preparing several options for differing pledges between People Power Party and People Party to set direction
Different from usual transition committee handling methods... Concerns over possible confusion

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is having tea time with Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the transition committee, at the president-elect's office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 14th. Photo by the National Assembly Press Corps

[Asia Economy Reporter Naju-seok] The Presidential Transition Committee is reportedly preparing multiple proposals in the process of turning election pledges into policies. In a situation where it is inevitable to adjust the pledges between the People Power Party and the People’s Party, President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol will be allowed to choose from two or more options to achieve the best outcome.

A People’s Party official explained on the 15th, "There are slight differences regarding the pledges, but we will coordinate and present upgraded versions." The official added, "Although it is a joint government, the person who bears the greatest responsibility for national governance is the president-elect," and said, "Chairman Ahn has made that decision."

This idea is also confirmed in remarks by Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo. At a recent press briefing, Chairman Ahn said regarding the coordination of pledges where the People Power Party and the People’s Party have differing views, "Among the various announced pledges, we will look for possible solutions, prepare several options, and then set the direction according to the president-elect’s decision." He continued, "It is not about abolishing (President-elect Yoon’s pledges), but about reporting on various policy directions and letting the president-elect make the choice, which is the right approach."

The plan is to adopt national tasks by having the Transition Committee prepare them and then proceed with the president-elect’s final decision-making process. This differs from the usual way the Transition Committee operates. According to the current ‘Act on the Presidential Transition,’ the committee is responsible for understanding government organization functions and budgets, setting the new government’s policy direction, preparing inauguration events, and vetting cabinet appointments. More specifically, it is about creating a blueprint for how to implement the president-elect’s election pledges in the next administration.

The fact that the Transition Committee intends to prepare multiple proposals rather than a single one is interpreted as including Chairman Ahn’s pledges from when he was a presidential candidate among the options, and then receiving President-elect Yoon’s selection. In fact, this was initiated during the candidate unification process. On the 3rd, when announcing the unification agreement, Chairman Ahn, asked about the coordination process regarding differences in pledges between the two parties, said, "The Transition Committee reviews the pledges, conducts fiscal estimates to check feasibility, and assesses whether they are achievable," adding, "Regarding issues like soldier salaries or the prioritization of weapon systems, since the People Power Party and the People’s Party have different proposals, discussions between them can create synergy to develop better plans." He emphasized that differences between the two parties need to be discussed.

A People’s Party official said, "Whether to discard, adjust, or revise and resubmit is up to the president-elect’s choice," adding, "It means they intend to revise and supplement." The official also said, "Although it is a joint government, the person who bears the greatest responsibility for national governance is the president-elect," and added, "Chairman Ahn has made that decision."

However, concerns have been raised about possible confusion during this process. A former official who worked in a previous transition committee pointed out, "The Transition Committee goes through a process of consulting with relevant government officials about election pledges, then announces which are realistically impossible, difficult, or time-consuming," adding, "They proceed with what can be done quickly, and for others, announce the timeline for completion over several years. How can the Transition Committee even mention discarding pledges?" The official explained that the Transition Committee is a place to realize the president-elect’s pledges.

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