Woo Sang-ho, governor-elect of Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, has chosen Choi Heung-jip — a former provincial deputy governor for political affairs and a former Saenuri Party candidate for Gangwon governor — to chair the transition committee that will lay the groundwork for his administration.
The move is seen as the first concrete step toward the "politics of unity bridging progressives and conservatives" and "pragmatic governance" that Woo pledged at his campaign committee's dissolution ceremony Thursday.
Woo is scheduled to hold a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. at his campaign office on the sixth floor of the Onui Building in Chuncheon to formally announce the appointment.
Choi is widely regarded as a seasoned administrative professional, having served as the ninth Gangwon Province deputy governor for political affairs and as the seventh president of Gangwon Land.
He carries particular weight as a symbol of the province's conservative establishment, having run as the Saenuri Party's Gangwon gubernatorial candidate in the sixth nationwide local elections in 2014.
Woo brought Choi into his campaign as a policy adviser in a surprise move on April 30, while still a candidate.
At the time of Choi's recruitment, Woo said, "The seasoned administrative experience of former Deputy Governor Choi Heung-jip, who represents Gangwon's conservatives, has met my vision for the future." He added that "this combination will be a powerful engine to grow Gangwon Province into a city that competes confidently with the world."
Choi will work to flesh out the governor-elect's key campaign pledges, including creating youth jobs through industrial development and strengthening Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province's administrative foundations.
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