President-Elect Can Appoint Government Post Candidates

The presidential-elect is expected to receive security services as the next president of South Korea until he officially takes office on February 25, 2008.

Under the Presidential Transition Act enacted in February 2003, a president-elect can be briefed on state affairs by ministers once a presidential transition commission is established. Five years ago, then president-elect Roh Moo-hyun received a briefing on North Korea’s nuclear weapons by then Presidential Secretary for Foreign Affairs Lim Seong-joon right after the nation`s election watchdog confirmed his victory.

However, the presidential-elect can not directly intervene in national affairs. Still, he is able to negotiate or fine-tune national affairs through meetings with the incumbent president.

The president-elect can exercise his right of personnel management on the next administration once the president transitional commission is created. The Presidential Transition Act was changed in 2005 to allow a president-elect to appoint candidates for prime minister and state ministers, and to ask the chairman of the National Assembly to convene hearings on appointments even before he takes office.

He can also establish his aide organizations, such as presidential office, press, and presidential spokesperson’s offices when the Transition Commission is created, and also receive personnel assistance from the current administration if necessary. In 2002 when Roh Moo-hyun was president-elect, Kim Jin-Pyo, the minister for Public Policy Coordination at the time, served as vice chairman of the transition commission.

However, the president-elect cannot receive payments since his status is not that of a public official. Instead, he is able to receive money to finance activities from the Transition Commission.

He can establish the transition commission office wherever he wants. Government financial support is also provided for the establishment. As for Kim Dae-jung, the president-elect in 1997, he created the office at the National Institute for Training of Educational Administration in Samcheong-dong, Seoul. Roh Moo-hyun, the 2002 president-elect, placed the transitional commission office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Seoul.

The Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs, which is in charge of the preparation work of creating a transitional commission, is reviewing three locations, including the Korea Banking Institute in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, and another building at Hyoja-dong, Seoul as possible transitional commission office sites.

The president-elect will also receive security services under the Presidential Security Service Act. Once he is confirmed as the next president by the National Election Commission, the president-elect and his family members will be protected by presidential security guards. A bulletproof sedan will be offered and the presidential airplane and helicopter can be used as required by the president-elect. If he takes trips overseas, the president-elect can receive protocol and security services through the presidential office.

He can use his current private residence or move to a security house provided by the government. As for former presidents Kim Young-sam and Roh Moo-hyun, they remained in their private residences until taking office. And in the case of former president Kim Dae-jung, he used both his personal residence and a security house.

In addition, the president-elect also receives free medical treatment at national and private hospitals, and gets financial repayments from the government for medical treatment at private clinics. President Roh received 6 million won to fund his medical treatment from the Transitional Commission when he was president-elect.

jin0619@donga.com