Park's transition team to be made up of 9 subcommittees

President-elect Park Geun-hye's transition committee will be made up of nine subcommittees handling political affairs, foreign policy, the economy and various social issues, the committee's chief said Monday.

Kim Yong-joon, the former Constitutional Court chief, who was named last week to lead Park's transition team, did not, however, announce any of the members of the committees.

"It will take some time before the appointments are made because of the steps involved," Kim told reporters at the headquarters of Park's ruling Saenuri Party.

The nine subcommittees will each handle the planning and coordination of state affairs; political affairs; foreign, defense and unification policies; law and social safety; education and science; employment and welfare; and women and culture, with two subcommittees dedicated to economic issues.

By law, a presidential transition committee can have one chief, one deputy chief and up to 24 members. The total size of Park's committee is expected to be about 100-150 people, including advisers and office staff.

Media attention has focused on who will make up Park's transition committee because many of her predecessors had appointed members of their teams to top posts within their administration.

Kim stressed that as a rule, these committee members would return to their respective jobs at the end of the committee's two-month-long operation.

"These people are not appointed on the premise that they will move into the next government," he said.

The remarks come as Park has drawn fire from the main opposition Democratic United Party for naming a sharp-tongued political commentator as her committee's spokesman.

The opposition has demanded she withdraw that appointment and accused two other appointees of corruption and other ethical lapses.

Park is set to take office on Feb. 25 as the country's first female president. (Yonhap News)