Yoon cautious about selecting presidential chief of staff

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol's Chief of Staff, Rep. Chang Je-won, right, answers reporters' questions at the presidential transition committee's office in Tongui-dong, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

By Nam Hyun-woo

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is accelerating his Cabinet nominations by reviewing the credentials of candidates. He is taking a cautious stance in selecting the presidential chief of staff by turning down close aides who helped the former prosecutor-general start his political career.

According to aides to Yoon, Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), is almost certain to be named as the deputy prime minister for economy and there will be announcements on the nominations for the deputy prime minister position and other top economic posts as early as this weekend.

Among the candidates, Yoon is looking into former Vice Minister of Economy and Finance Choi Sang-mok as the chairman of the Financial Services Commission and Prof. Lee Chang-yang at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology as the minister of trade, industry and energy.

“There have been rumors that we have already designated the deputy prime minister nominee, but that is not true,” Yoon's chief of staff, PPP Rep. Chang Je-won told reporters, Wednesday. “To fix nominees, we have to receive their vetting reports but there are no completed reports. … The pace is too slow.”

Rep. Choo Kyung-ho of the main opposition People Power Party, third from left, shakes hands with a lawmaker during a plenary session of the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

For the foreign minister post, PPP Rep. Park Jin is mentioned as the most likely candidate, while PPP Rep. Cho Tae-yong and former vice foreign minister Kim Sung-han are likely to be appointed as the chief of the National Intelligence Service and the presidential national security advisor, respectively.

All of those mentioned are either members of the presidential transition committee or key advisors who helped Yoon to come up with his policy drafts during the presidential election. In line with Yoon's previous remarks that there will be “no surprise” in naming key administration posts, those candidates have long been in Yoon's pool of talents and are widely expected to serve in those positions.

However, Yoon's choice of presidential chief of staff remains uncertain.

Initially, Yoon's current Chief of Staff Chang was anticipated to retain his job after his inauguration on May 10, but both Chang and Yoon have denied such speculation.

“I have made up my mind to return to Yeouido after finding a good fit for the presidential office,” Chang told reporters Tuesday, referring to the location of the National Assembly. “I want to invite a person whose political sense and experiences are already proven.”

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Yoon also said rumors that he wants to appoint Chang as the presidential chief of staff are “groundless” because he is an active lawmaker.

“I will do my job with someone who is very capable at serving the people,” Yoon said. “Rumors regarding Chang are groundless because he is an active lawmaker.”

Yoon's comment was interpreted to be mirroring the PPP's standing in the National Assembly.

The 300-seat Assembly is now dominated by the ruling Democratic Party of Korea with 172 seats. Since a presidential chief of staff cannot retain his or her lawmaker position at the same time, every seat of the PPP in the Assembly counts for Yoon and the party to keep him from losing political influence in the early stage of his presidency. The PPP now has 110 seats.

Rep. Kweon Seong-dong of the main opposition People Power Party announces his bid to run for the party's floor leader post during a press conference at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Tuesday. Joint Press Corps

Following Yoon's remarks, chances became slim that PPP Reps. Kwon Young-se or Kweon Seong-dong, who are also Yoon's closest aides along with Chang, will become the presidential chief of staff. Kwon led Yoon's election campaign team and is now vice chairman of the presidential transition committee. Kweon recently announced his bid to run for the PPP's floor leader post.

More recently, former Jeju Province Governor Won Hee-ryong and former lawmaker Chang Sung-min have emerged as possible candidates for the post, but sources said they seem to have no advantage over other candidates.