Park Joo-sun: "President-elect Yoon will be a successful president if he achieves fairness, common sense, justice, rule of law, unity, and harmony"

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Lee Do-hoon Appointed Special Advisor and Inauguration Director
Learning from Moon Jae-in Government: "Must Not Become an Incompetent, Irresponsible, and Dogmatic Administration"

Park Juseon, Chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Preparation Committee, is being interviewed on the 17th at Shilla Stay in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

[Asia Economy Reporters Naju-seok and Kwon Hyun-ji] "President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol is talking about fairness and common sense, justice and the rule of law, integration and harmony as the direction for national governance. If he properly implements just these, he will be regarded as a successful president."

On the 18th, Park Joo-sun, chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Preparation Committee, spoke about the conditions for the next government's success in an interview at a hotel in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and introduced that the vision the president-elect has revealed will be included in the inaugural address. Chairman Park said, "A successful government has conditions such as fulfilling the people's hopes and promised pledges, implementing policies that promise strong national security and a happy future for the people, and conducting personnel appointments fairly and according to principles," adding, "The president-elect's spirit and the foundation of that spirit will be the inaugural address reporting policies to the people."

Accordingly, he explained, "By maintaining an organic relationship with the Presidential Transition Committee and the president-elect's secretariat, we will be able to present the president-elect's five-year national philosophy and vision."

The Inauguration Preparation Committee is currently in the process of personnel appointments. Regarding the appointment of eight preparation committee members, he said, "Only Lee Do-hoon, the president-elect's special advisor, has been appointed," and introduced, "This advisor holds a PhD in literature and is an expert in event planning who also participated in the previous Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. We requested him to take on the role of general director of the inauguration ceremony this time, and he agreed."

Once the organization is established, the first consideration will be the venue. Chairman Park said, "Once the inauguration preparation committee is formed, the first thing to decide will be where to hold the inauguration ceremony, which is not an easy task," adding, "There are concerns and worries about whether a large-scale outdoor inauguration event can be held, considering the COVID-19 situation, the quarantine rules related to 'With Corona,' and whether the spread will continue during the seasonal transition." For now, venues such as the National Assembly are expected to be considered based on past precedents.

Regarding the background of taking on the role of chairman of the inauguration preparation committee, which shows the blueprint of the new government to the people, he cited his understanding of the president-elect's philosophy and his long political experience as the National Assembly Deputy Speaker and party leader. Chairman Park introduced, "During the presidential election campaign, I discussed the president-elect Yoon's political ideas and philosophical vision, so I know the overall plan and philosophy well. Having been an active politician for a considerable period, I understand what the people want, and I was asked to combine these to create the inaugural address."

Park Juseon, Chairman of the Presidential Inauguration Preparation Committee, is being interviewed on the 17th at Shilla Stay in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kang Jinhyung aymsdream@

When asked what lessons could be learned from the Moon Jae-in administration, Chairman Park mentioned the concept of 'banmyeonjosa' (反面敎師, learning from others' negative aspects). He said, "It gave us a sobering lesson that we must not become an incompetent, irresponsible, and dogmatic government like the Moon Jae-in administration," adding, "President Moon showed that there is a big difference between delivering an inaugural address and having the will to implement it."

Chairman Park said, "The inaugural address was good, but the substance of the address was almost nonexistent," and added, "Some people say to include only what can be kept rather than grand words, and I understand what they mean. But the better the inaugural address, the better it is." He emphasized, "The president must be one who recognizes the will, determination, and the gravity of the promise to faithfully uphold that good inaugural address."

Regarding speculation about the appointment of the first prime minister of the new government, he showed a cautious attitude. He said, "I am not someone who dreams of or aspires to be prime minister due to various shortcomings," adding, "If I can help the success of the Yoon Seok-yeol government, I think it is my mission to play even a small role."

Park, who supported President-elect Yoon's campaign as an outside figure without party affiliation in the last presidential election, said, "I have no plans to enter politics and am not considering joining a party," but added, "Political reform is being raised as a key issue in the political world, and I believe that real political reform, not just rhetoric, must be achieved."

He said, "Politics focused on ideology should give way to politics centered on moderation, pragmatism, and people's livelihood, and politics that emphasize consultation are needed," adding, "Although I have left politics, if my role is needed, I believe I have a duty and responsibility."

Meanwhile, he explained, "Some call it the Inauguration Ceremony Preparation Committee, but legally it is the Inauguration Preparation Committee," adding, "Within the Inauguration Preparation Committee, preparations for the inauguration ceremony and the inaugural address are carried out."

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