"Yoon Transition Team Transcends 'Yeouido Grammar'... 'Hope They Listen to the People's Voice'"

Plaque Ceremony Held at Transition Committee Office on the 18th... Reflecting the Commitment to 'Merit-Based' Appointments Just 8 Days After Election

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol holds a plaque ceremony with Ahn Cheol-soo, the chairman of the transition committee, Kwon Young-se, the vice chairman, and other attendees at the transition committee office set up at the Financial Supervisory Service Training Institute in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 18th. Photo by Yoon Dong-ju doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporters Baek Kyunghwan and Geum Boryeong] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's Presidential Transition Committee officially launched on the 18th. Reviewing the lineup of transition committee members, the principle of appointing based on 'capability' was applied, avoiding the so-called 'Yeouido logic' of political favors. After finalizing the appointment of 24 transition committee members across 7 divisions the previous day, President-elect Yoon is expected to proceed sequentially with the verification and appointment of the Prime Minister and ministerial candidates who will realize his vision for national governance.

On the morning of the same day, President-elect Yoon attended the transition committee plaque ceremony at the entrance of the committee building in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, along with Transition Committee Chairman Ahn Cheol-soo and other members. He urged, "Always be cautious not to be trapped by the logic of individual ministries and communicate with the mindset that there are no boundaries in national affairs." The plaque ceremony took place just eight days after his victory in the presidential election on the 10th.

Regarding the establishment of national tasks, President-elect Yoon emphasized, "There must be no gaps whatsoever in national security and the livelihood of the people." This means that all standards for national tasks must prioritize national interests and the people. He asked the transition committee members to "always listen to the voices of the people and solve problems from the people's perspective."

Looking at the composition of this transition committee, President-elect Yoon's philosophy on appointments is also evident. Notably, non-politicians were appointed to both Economic Division 1 and 2, which had drawn attention from both political circles and the business community. Economic Division 1 serves as a guide for macroeconomic and financial policies, while Economic Division 2 handles industrial and real estate policies. Politicians were largely excluded, and the divisions were composed solely of experts selected based on capability.

In particular, since only 'experience' was considered without regard to alma mater, region, or gender, it was found that more than half of the 24 transition committee members?13 in total?are graduates of Seoul National University. Although there was some criticism regarding the appointment of only 4 women and 1 member from Honam, President-elect Yoon's strong will that "positions should not be divided as favors" prevailed.

President-elect Yoon reportedly identified responding to the COVID-19 crisis as the transition committee's first key task. He also asked the transition committee members to "prepare proactively to respond in case another pandemic occurs."

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