Transition teams of Korea’s most recent presidents were the start of their misfortunes. President Lee Myung-bak’s lineup included the rich, corrupt and prone to gaffes. His predecessor, the late Roh Moo-hyun, was bombarded for running a team fiercely partisan, combative and often accused of leftist views.

Witnessing how initial personnel blunders complicated the handover period and beyond, President-elect Park Geun-hye is being as cautious as possible to step off on the right foot focusing on nonpartisanship, policy expertise and practicality.

“Additional selections will be announced soon. The most important thing is expertise, and other factors will be reviewed in making the selections,” Park told reporters Tuesday. 

But Park suffered a setback as her new chief spokesman Yoon Chang-jung, a ultra-rightist columnist, had to apologize one day after his appointment for hurting many with his sharply critical writings.

“I feel sorry and humbled by those who have been hurt by me, what I have written and what I have said on TV,” Yoon told reporters at Saenuri Party headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

Park’s first announcement of the transition team also included her chief secretary and two other spokespersons.

The president-elect has been speculated to be planning a small, low-key and policy-focused transition committee to set a roadmap for her commitment of ending confrontational politics and taking prompt actions to address an economic slowdown.

“Policies are the important factor,” she was quoted as telling Rep. Yoo Il-ho, a holder of a doctorate degree in economics, in appointing him as her chief secretary.

Park also named as her new spokespersons, Saenuri Party spokesperson Cho Yoon-sun and former election committee spokesman Park Sun-kyu, both deemed affiliated with the pro-Lee Myung-bak faction in the party,

Regarding the chief of the transition committee, Park Sun-kyu said that the selection will take time.

“The committee chair is an important post, there are symbolic and professional factors, and the public’s view to consider,” the spokesman said.

“So, the selection will not be conducted with specific individuals in mind. It is the most important appointment for the Park Geun-hye administration, serious consideration is required, and also time for that consideration.”

He also confirmed that the transition committee will be set up at the Korea Banking Institute in Samcheong-dong, which is located within walking distance of Cheong Wa Dae on its east side.

Park’s personal office will be located at the Financial Supervisory Service’s training institute in Tongui-dong, also within walking distance of the presidential office but to its west.

In addition, observers say that pro-Park lawmakers are likely to be mostly excluded as Park seeks to drain partisanship from the committee in an effort to concentrate on its capabilities solely on taking over from the Lee Myung-bak administration.

The first signs of pro-Park individuals’ exclusion ― voluntary or imposed ― came on Dec. 21 when Rep. Lee Hag-jae resigned as Park’s chief secretary and announced that he will not be taking any appointed posts during the upcoming administration.

As such, the transition committee is speculated to be formed around experts who worked with the president-elect during her campaign to formulate her economic, welfare and tax policies.

Among Saenuri Party lawmakers, Reps. An Chong-bum and Kim Hyun-sook are among those who most closely fit the bill under these assumptions.

Aside from the small size and the emphasis on the expertise of its members, Park’s pledge to achieve “grand integration” is rumored to be one of the biggest factors in selecting the transition committee.

According to reports citing anonymous Saenuri Party officials, a number of individuals originating from the Jeolla region, including Kim Jong-in and Han Gwang-ok, are being considered for the post of the transition committee chief.

Kim headed the Committee to Pursue People’s Happiness within Park’s election camp, while former Democratic United Party adviser Han served as the deputy chief of the committee for national integration.

Some observers, however, say that such speculations could prove to be wildly off the mark due to Park’s tendency to keep her thoughts to herself until the last minute.

The trait was clearly visible in Monday’s announcement of her secretariat, with even Lee Jung-hyun, who made the announcement, being made aware of her decision only 20 minutes before the official announcement was made at 6 p.m.

The president-elect is also reported to be planning to pay her respects at the Gwangju Democratization Cemetery along with the transition committee members on the day the full panel is announced.

Located in Gwangju, the progressive bloc’s main power base, the Gwangju Democratization Cemetery is the resting place of those who died during the democratization movement that began on May 18, 1980.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)