President-elect Yoon vows to ‘trust, follow will of people’

Mar 11, 2022, 08:45 am

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President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol holds a press conference at the National Assembly on March 10, 2022./ Photographed by Lee Byung-hwa

AsiaToday reporter Kim Na-ri

“I will solely trust the people and follow the people’s will,” President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Thursday following his victory in the presidential election.

“I will overcome the crisis by setting free democracy and market economy principles right to usher in an era of unity and prosperity,” Yoon said in his first press conference as president-elect at the National Assembly Library. He vowed to keep away from outdated ideologies and run government based on common sense. “I will severely punish corruption that threatens democracy by the people without taking sides,” he said. “I will firmly uphold the principle of the rule of law that is applied fairly to all Koreans.”

When asked about the formation of a presidential transition committee, he said, “The secretary office of the president-elect will be formed in a small, efficient way to launch and support the committee. It should play an initial role in verifying important personnel. I heard that many prepare it during the election campaign period, but that was not my case. I will prepare it swiftly.”

On the Daejang-dong land development scandal, he avoided to answer, saying, “Isn’t it better not to talk about the Daejang-dong case for a while? Such issue should be addressed based on the system.”

Yoon had a hectic schedule on the first day as president-elect. His first schedule was a five-minute phone conversation with President Moon Jae-in. According to the presidential office, Moon told Yoon that it is important to overcome the conflict and division that arose during the campaign and achieve national unity. Yoon said he hopes to learn from Moon and that they will get together soon.

In a phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden, Yoon reaffirmed the bilateral alliance and close coordination on North Korea between their two nations. They also promised to meet in person at an early date. The call came five hours after Yoon delivered his victory speech. Yoon apparently revealed the details of the phone conversation to highlight the strength of the ROK-U.S. alliance amid severe external circumstances, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and North Korea’s missile launch. Yoon has been thinking of the United States as a priority for ‘four-way diplomacy’ since his candidacy.

The president-elect paid a visit to the Seoul National Cemetery under the highest level of protection, equivalent to the incumbent president.

Yoon reiterated the importance of party unity and cooperation with the political opposition during an event marking the disbanding of his campaign. “When we take over the administration, it will be a government not just of my cadre but of the People Power Party. The administration and the party should coordinate closely when forming and implementing policy. We will also coordinate closely with the opposition party,” he said.

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