Lee Han-joo, head of the Democratic Party of Korea's Institute for Democracy, noted on the 4th that regarding the emergency economic task force (TF) that President Lee Jae-myung said he would establish during his presidential candidacy, "I think it will probably be the first directive, and there will be a principle of public-private cooperation."
Lee added during MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" that "there needs to be a principle that the president should take direct charge, but if the public and private sectors do not work together, I think the issue will become more complicated." He is widely mentioned as a contender for the head of the Presidential Office's policy planning department.
When asked where the TF would be established, he replied, "It could be in the Presidential Office or in the cabinet," adding, "It has not been decided yet, but what I can say for sure is that the president must take direct action."
Regarding whether the local currency budget will be included in the supplementary budget, he said, "It seems that it should be included in the livelihood (budget)" and added, "Local currency has an effect like analgesics that revitalize the livelihood economy."
He further mentioned, "Among the parts that return to the public welfare, a significant portion should be issued as local currency to discuss how much and for how long it will be spent in certain regions."
Regarding the budget proposal for next year, he stated, "If it were up to us, we would have thought research and development (R&D) is important, but there are quite a few aspects that were neglected by the previous government," and added, "To adjust the expenditure structure of the previous government, it should be done quickly, and more attention should be paid to the growth base."
Concerning the issue of revising the government organization law, he noted, "It seems to be a consensus that the prosecution should separate the right to indict with stronger standards than before," and said, "It needs to be done skillfully."
He also mentioned, "There is a consensus that, due to the considerable authority of the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the budgeting and planning functions need to be separated," adding, "We also need to judge how to make the Statistics Korea, which handles data, independent from the Ministry of Economy and Finance to perform its role."
Additionally, regarding the proposal by former Deputy Prime Minister Choi Sang-mok and others to derive a "July Package" regarding tariff negotiations before the expiration of the United States' reciprocal tariff exemption on July 8, he replied, "What has been agreed upon between countries cannot be nullified."
Lee stated, however, "We will adjust while confirming the contents" and remarked, "I believe it will be resolved in the context of the Korea-U.S. alliance."
When asked whether the amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the Labor Union Act, known as the "yellow envelope law," and other bills that former President Yoon Suk-yeol exercised his request for reconsideration will be re-pursued, he responded, "We will do it immediately."
Moreover, regarding the new government's personnel verification system, Lee remarked, "Since the government has launched, personnel verification must be done with very close people and capable individuals," though he also noted, "There may be some confusion."
He added that there is a possibility that a "National Planning Committee" that will play the role of the Presidential Transition Committee will be created.