CONFLICT GROWS OVER DESIGNATION

[Anchor Lead]

The conflict between CheongWaDae and the President-elect’s office is growing more serious as problems keep mounting and a meeting between the two leaders keeps falling through. Some even worry whether a solution can be found in this struggle.

[Pkg]

Both the top office and the incoming administration admit that Lee Chang-yong was mentioned on the working level. But they differ widely when it comes to the issue of consultation. CheongWaDae revealed it had asked the President-elect’s office who is better between the two BOK governor candidates and Yoon’s office mentioned Lee’s name and even asked if he had been vetted. In contrast, the President-elect’s office claims all they said was that Lee is a good man and that Yoon had never chosen Lee. The two sides obviously have different takes on what personnel consultation entails. Another key issue is the appointment of two vacant commissioner seats in the Bureau of Audit and Inspection. The seven-member BAI Council of Commissioners adopts a four-member majority voting system. The President-elect’s office regards three of five incumbent commissioners as pro-government. Thus Yoon’s office publicly declared that the remaining two members will be selected by the President-elect.

[Soundbite] Chang Je-won(Chief of Staff for President-Elect) : "This isn’t a simple matter of choosing one member given the members of the BAI Council of Commissioners. You can’t simply say ‘Why can’t you accept one instead of three’."

CheongWaDae believes the President-elect has unprecedentedly infringed on the incumbent president’s authority... while Yoon's office claims that CheongWaDae has been acting in an insincere manner on several matters. The two sides have drifted further apart since the top office relocation became an issue. Furthermore, the two sides no longer seem to trust each other as their negotiation mediators accuse each other of lying... leading to speculations that a meeting between the current and future leaders has become more unlikely.