A lawmaker`s advice to the president-elect

Rep. Yoo Seung-min of the ruling Saenuri Party said in a recent interview with the Daegu-based daily Yeongnam Ilbo that President-elect Park Geun-hye should consider above anything else personnel appointments, policy and communication. On personnel appointments, Yoo said the president-elect should find competent people who are like “pearls in the mud” rather than appointing close aides to key posts or make all appointment decisions by herself. He also stressed the importance of finding figures with good leadership material. Park should heed Yoo’s advice considering that he is well aware that he is one of the president-elect`s closest aides and a key member of the pro-Park faction in the party.

Yoo’s comments on the importance of personnel appointments are also in line with his emphasis on policy and communication. In the end, policies and communication are implemented by people. Park should select those who can formulate good policies and exercise good communication with the public.

Park is under criticism for selecting close aides and friends for key posts on her presidential transition committee. It is understandable why Yoo said the president-elect should not pick people close to her and make appointments by herself. He also called Kim Yong-jun, former chief justice of the Constitutional Court and head of the transition team, "too colorless," warning that if Park puts the committee under her direct influence, nobody will offer her honest advice even if things go in the wrong direction. Though Yoo is said not to be as close to Park as before, perhaps this is why he can be so honest.

Also under criticism among the president-elect`s appointees are Yoon Chang-jung, a spokesman for the transition team, and Yoon Sang-kyu, chairman of the team’s youth subcommittee. Their inappropriate comments and unfair business practices came to light after their appointments were announced. Carefully checking a candidate`s background is one of the most basic elements of screening. In short, they were selected without the proper screening process. Their appointments were thus done under the “sealed envelope” method, which refers to the way the transition committee`s key members were announced.

Park must make appointments for working-level members of her transition team soon before selecting key leaders of her administration. She is said to put priority on professionalism and open key offices to talented individuals irrespective of ties to embrace her opponents and implement her policies. The president-elect should use a wider pool of talent to find the proper people for key posts. Finding ethically flawless people is also important, and to do so, she must ditch her closed appointment style for a more thorough screening system. She should also be careful about opportunists who pursue power.

Yoon Chang-jung, the transition committee’s spokesman, on Wednesday said the appointments of more members to the committee will take more time because “there needs to be steps to check (the candidates) for suitability.” Park will likely feel a heavy burden in her selection of transition team members because of the disgrace she has suffered due to her initial appointments. She must appoint the right people to effectively run the country after being sworn in.