Ahn Cheol-soo, chairman of the Presidential Transition Committee, announced today (30th) that he would not assume the position of the first prime minister of the Yun Seok-yeol government.
Chairman Ahn held a press conference at the transition committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu on the same day and said, "As the transition chairperson, after drawing a blueprint and a good picture for the next government, not directly participating in the cabinet would rather increase the burden on President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol." "Personally, I think it would be better to open up a space for the elected person to express their will," he said.
It is known that Chairman Ahn met with Yoon in person the day before and expressed his intention not to assume the post of prime minister.
When asked if he had recommended Yoon-elect as a candidate for prime minister, Chairman Ahn said, "No. Rather than taking the role of prime minister myself, I told him to find a good person who really fits the direction of state affairs so that the elected president can express his will. "He said.
When asked whether President-elect Yoon made a proposal to assume the role of prime minister, Chairman Ahn replied, "I requested an interview yesterday, so I said first (that I wouldn't)."
He added, "I think you're probably worried, so I thought it would be good for me to express my intentions first before asking me."
Regarding the story from the one-on-one meeting with President-elect Yoon, Chairman Ahn said, "It is not appropriate to reproduce the story the two of them shared."
Regarding future plans, Chairman Ahn said that he needed time to recharge as he held the Seoul mayor by-election on April 7 last year and the last presidential election in a row.
Chairman Ahn said, "I think I have a lot to contribute to things that broaden the party's support base and things that can stabilize the regime."
Chairman Ahn criticized, "The Democratic Party has been in power as the Democratic Party for the past five years and has caused a lot of disappointment to the people. Not only that, but we need to change our behavior as well.”
When asked if he had plans to challenge the party or run for the Gyeonggi governor after being recharged, Chairman Ahn dismissed the question, "First of all, I have no intention of running for a local election."
He added, "I am not thinking about the party right now, as Lee Jun-seok's term of office is until next year."
On the other hand, regarding the recent clashes with the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Jeon Jang-yeon), CEO Lee Jun-seok, and pointing out that he is not considering the socially disadvantaged, he said, "I sent the relevant section of the transition committee and the transition committee to the site after hearing their opinions. It expresses our will to reflect the policy of the transition committee and the blueprint of the next government.”
(Photo = Yonhap News)