Im Tae-hee: "Jang Je-won, Cheong Wa Dae Chief Secretary is natural... Yoon Core Faction is a Scarlet Letter"

Special Advisor to President-elect Im Tae-hee

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[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kang Wooseok] Im Taehee, special advisor to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, stated on the 4th regarding the position of Chief of Staff to the President, "I actually thought that Chief Jang Je-won might be going to the Blue House as Chief of Staff," adding, "It might actually be the natural course of action."

Im, appearing on CBS Radio's 'Hanpanseungbu' that day, said, "At the start of the term, the Chief of Staff in the first lineup is, in some ways, a more important figure to the President than even the Prime Minister," and added, "Although there is a responsible Prime Minister and responsible ministers, due to loyalty to the President and the awareness that various things must succeed, active activities can inevitably cause problems and conflicts. It is the responsibility of the Chief of Staff to coordinate these issues."

Regarding Representative Jang Je-won, he said, "He says he wants to go to the National Assembly, but I don't think it's true that he can't become Chief of Staff because of his parliamentary seat," and added, "The current shortage of seats is completely insufficient in majority rule, but a change of one or two seats does not affect the overall trend. If he can perform well as Chief of Staff, I think it might actually be the natural course for Representative Jang Je-won to take the position."

He continued, "Considering the various relationships from the transition committee to even the primary election, being the closest to the President-elect, the Yoon Seok-yeol administration really needs to do its best until the end for success. Someone who shares that level of closeness with the President-elect should take the position to properly fulfill the role," he added.

Regarding the controversy surrounding Representative Jang Je-won and the so-called 'Yunhakkwan' (Yoon core group), he said, "Representative Jang Je-won would probably feel very unfair if he heard that," and added, "Everyone has close people. I am willing to criticize and reprimand any bad behavior specifically, but just labeling someone as part of the 'Yunhakkwan' simply because they are close to the President-elect is something I would like people to refrain from and watch carefully," defending him.

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