ED Narrow talent pool
Until when will Yoon leave health and welfare minister's post vacant?
Today marks the 100th day since President Yoon Suk-yeol took office, but the position of health and welfare minister remains vacant. Two of Yoon's nominees fell off their horses. The first nominee withdrew due to allegations of the preferential transfer of his children to a medical school where he was the head, and the second because of suspected violations of political funding laws. The top health and welfare policymaker's position being vacant for such a long time is unprecedented. Many people wonder whether leaving the position empty means that Yoon has little interest in public health and welfare issues directly linked to their daily lives.
Problems resulting from the minister's vacancy are seen everywhere. Most worrying is the failure to cope properly with the resurgence of COVID-19. The number of seriously ill patients stood at 563 as of midnight Monday, nearly eight times higher than a month ago. Most of them are age 60 or older, meaning that the number of daily COVID-19 deaths could reach 200-300 in two to three weeks. Unfortunately, the Yoon administration's pledge to pursue “scientific and autonomous quarantine” policies has yet to result in any countermeasures befitting its promise.
No less important is pension reform, one of the Yoon government's three major tasks. Due to the rapid depletion of the pension reserves, the government cannot afford to waste more time. As it is an issue of varied interests from all walks of life, the new administration should tackle it in its early days, and not miss the golden time. However, like the minister, the posts of the related director-general within the ministry and the head of the National Pension Service remain vacant, unable to push the task forward.
The presidential office says the two vice ministers are running the health and welfare ministry without an administrative vacuum. However, the days are numbered before the ministry will show its limitations in coping with pending issues, including the aging population and ensuring that public health and welfare are being proactively and fully protected. There are rumors that Yoon's picks for prospective candidates have also failed to pass the verification process. The president must hurry to appoint a qualified person or else he will end up reaffirming the narrow talent pool.