Lee Kyung-sook to Lead Transition Team

President-elect Lee Myung-bak of the Grand National Party (GNP) Tuesday appointed Lee Kyung-sook, 64, president of Sookmyung University, to lead the presidential transition committee.

The president-elect also appointed Kim Hyong-o, a Grand National Party lawmaker who spearheaded the party’s “Vision for the First-Rate Country” election campaign, as vice-chairman of the transition committee, and Lee Dong-kwan, who served as the head press officer for Lee Myung-bak`s presidential campaign, as its spokesman.

Yim Tae-hee, who served as the chief of staff of the presidential elect, was named the committee’s chief of staff, and Joo Ho-young, who served as the deputy chief of staff of the former Seoul mayor, was named its spokesman.

Lee Kyung-sook is the first woman to lead a presidential transition committee since the first presidential transition committee was launched in 1998.

She held a press conference on Tuesday and said, “I accepted the offer because the style of the presidential elect’s leadership, which is aimed at serving the people, is what I believe is necessary (for the next president). I wish the new government will be able to establish visions and goals that will make the people happy and better serviced.”

The transition committee is composed of seven subcommittees along with one special subcommittee on national competitiveness. The subcommittees are policy coordination; political affairs; international relations, unification and security; administration; social affairs, education and culture; and economic affairs (divisions I and II).

The special committee comprises six task forces ranging from government innovation, deregulation, investment, countermeasures for the climate change and the energy crisis, to the cross-country canal project, the Saemangeum reclamation, and the science and business network.

In addition, an advisory committee of the presidential-elect, an inauguration preparation committee and the Center for Public Policy Suggestions have also been launched.

taylor55@donga.com