Nam Hyun-woo has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2013, mostly covering business and politics. He currently belongs to the Business Desk where he covers topics such as emerging tech, AI, ICT and Korea's chaebol community. Prior to joining the team, he was the paper's correspondent for the presidential office of Korea during the Yoon Suk Yeol and Moon Jae-in administrations.
Yoon's selection of Cabinet members faces mixed outlook
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol raises his arms to greet citizens at a traditional market in Andong, North Gyeongsang Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps
By Nam Hyun-woo
President-elect underscores expertise over diversity
By Nam Hyun-woo
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol has announced the first round of his Cabinet member picks, mostly from a group of people who helped his presidential campaign.
Yoon said he chose the nominees based on their capabilities and expertise. But he also faces criticism for failing to reflect more diversity in the gender, birthplace and age of the nominees.
According to Yoon's aides, the average age of eight ministerial nominees announced Sunday was 60.5, with three being in their 50s and five being in their 60s. None were in their 20s or 30s and only one woman ― gender equality minister nominee Kim Hyun-sook ― was included in the announcements.
Of them, four were born in the Gyeongsang provinces and one was born in Daegu. The two regions are traditional conservative strongholds and no one from the Jeolla provinces, a liberal stronghold, was selected. Three others were from Seoul, Jeju and North Chungcheong Province.
In Korean politics, a nominee's hometown is often considered when selecting high-ranking government officials. As a result, presidents have given jobs to candidates from various parts of the country to seek a balance between regions. However, Yoon did not take this practice into account, as he said he only considered expertise and capability.
“I didn't take into consideration the nominees' hometowns or gender,” Yoon said. “I believe the standards for selecting and screening high-ranking officials should be viewed from the general public's point of view.”
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport nominee Won Hee-ryong answers reporters' questions as he enters his office at the government complex in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, Monday. Joint Press Corps
Among the nominees, former Jeju Province Governor Won Hee-ryong's nomination as the land, infrastructure and transport minister was relatively unexpected, because he was rumored to be tapped as the presidential chief of staff and his career has been somewhat distant from real estate or transport policies.
Won is a former prosecutor and a three-term lawmaker. He was elected as Jeju governor in 2014 and served two terms until he ran in the main opposition People power Party's (PPP) presidential primary last year.
Yoon said Won introduced “innovative land development and real estate policies” during his tenure as Jeju governor, and proposed fresh policy ideas such as a new express train network surrounding Seoul during the presidential campaign.
Won's nomination is interpreted as Yoon's intention to appoint a minister with political leverage to institute a stronger drive in addressing the country's real estate issue. Soaring apartment prices in Seoul and the surrounding Gyeonggi Province and the imbalance in the real estate markets of the capital and other regions are the key reasons for the current Moon Jae-in administration's defeat in the last presidential election.
However, civic groups and liberal blocs are accusing Won of being an inappropriate candidate.
A federation of Jeju-based civic groups opposing the construction of a second Jeju Airport released a statement Monday demanding Yoon to withdraw his nomination of Won.
“Despite the obvious opposition among Jeju residents on the second Jeju Airport, Won ignored these voices and attempted to carry out the project,” the statement read. “Jeju residents have no trust in him.”
The project of building the second Jeju Airport has been the subject of heated debate among Jeju residents. In order to address the highly congested traffic around Jeju International Airport, the land ministry announced the project in 2015. But groundbreaking has yet to begin due to concerns over potential damage to the environment.
During a meeting with reporters, Won said Monday that he does not think the real estate market can be stabilized with “a number of government measures” and vowed to do his best to “reflect the market principles and experts' opinions.”
Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo enters his office in Jongno District, Seoul, Monday. Yonhap
While announcing the ministerial nominees, the Presidential Transition Committee revealed a document in which Prime Minister nominee Han Duck-soo recommended a list of candidates to Yoon. This is in line with Yoon's pledge to give greater authority to the prime minister in naming Cabinet members.
Han told reporters Monday that he “recommended the nominees to the president-elect through a formal document after thorough consultations.”
“The documents symbolize the Yoon administration's commitment that the prime minister will share authority and responsibilities with the president,” an aide to Yoon said. “The same process will likely be applied in nominating other ministers and vice ministers, in order to show Yoon's intention of refraining from parachuting a figure into a position without the recommendations of the prime minister or ministers,” Han said.