Won Hee-ryong, who was appointed as the first Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, enters the office of the Presidential Transition Committee at the Financial Supervisory Service training center in Toongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 10th. Takeover photo reporters
Won Hee-ryong, who was appointed as the first Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport under the Yun Seok-yeol administration, was appointed as the most unexpected candidate among the eight candidates announced on the 10th. No matter how strong the trust he built with President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol during the presidential election, this is because he has little experience in work related to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. Some analysts suggest that Lee Jae-myung, a former Democratic Party presidential candidate sniper, self-proclaimed as a ‘Daejang-dong 1st hit instructor’ was reflected in the election.
Candidate Won also seemed to be conscious of this, saying that the appointment of the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport “is accepted as a means to play a comprehensive role,” highlighting his momentum as a powerful politician. He also announced the plan to “concentrate the government’s capabilities to stabilize the housing of the common people and the middle class, and to enable the young generation who have lost their dreams to have their dreams in the future.”
The policy direction is clear, but the original candidate is far from a real estate expert. He graduated from Seoul National University Law School and served as a prosecutor for the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office. When he was working as a third-term member of the National Assembly (16th to 18th generation), he only served as the chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs, Trade and Unification Committee, but never touched on issues related to land and transportation. The Jeju-style smart city construction and smart green city, which were promoted during the Jeju governor’s time, are also difficult to believe are related to the housing price stabilization task that the next government will be shouldering.
This means that the professionalism that President-elect Yoon has put forward as the principle of appointing the cabinet is small. Therefore, it is analyzed that the strong trust between President-elect Yoon and Won Won became the basis for the sudden selection. In fact, Candidate Won took over as head of the policy department of Yoon-elect following losing the presidential race and oversaw the design of the promises, and is also serving as the planning chair of the transition committee. Not only was it not the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, it was consistently mentioned in the list of fragments of the Yun Seok-yeol government, including the Ministry of Public Administration and Security.
President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol receives a question from reporters as he leaves the office of the 20th presidential appointment committee in Tongui-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul following announcing the eight candidates for the first cabinet minister on the followingnoon of the 10th. yunhap news
The political context of ‘Daejang-dong’ cannot be ignored. During the presidential election, Candidate Won led the public debate over the former Democratic Party candidate’s preferential treatment for Daejang-dong. He said, “Isn’t that why he appointed the minister to catch Daejang-dong?” But he emphasized, “It’s definitely something we should aim for to prevent that from happening.”
However, it might be a burden on the next government for the politician-elect Yoon-elect to avoid as a minister and a person with low professionalism as a minister. There is also precedent. Former Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kim Hyun-mi, who is a politician and has been criticized for not responding properly to the real estate boom. However, Candidate Won said, “Since (real estate, etc.) is a political issue, it should not be solved simply with technical expertise. It was seen as the key to real estate solutions by betting on the political power that put the president’s trust on his back.
It is also noteworthy that candidate Won is a victim of the Moon Jae-in administration’s surge in house prices. He sold an apartment in Mok-dong, Seoul in 2014 when he was elected as the Jeju governor for 83 million won, and the price of the apartment has risen to 2.6 billion won. Kang Yun-hyeong, the spouse of Won Won, revealed this fact last year, saying it was “all because of the real estate policy of the Moon Jae-in administration.”
Son Young-ha reporter [email protected]
