[fn Plaza] Conditions for Success of the Lee Administration’s ‘Red Team’

A word that has quickly become familiar in the new year is “red team.” On the first day of the year, Cho Kuk, leader of the Rebuilding Korea Party, paid a courtesy visit to former President Moon Jae-in and said, “I will play the role of a red team to ensure the success of the Lee Jae-myung government.” The term came up again on January 4 in a briefing by presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon at Cheong Wa Dae. Explaining the decision to nominate former lawmaker Lee Hye-hoon as the first Minister of Planning and Budget, he said, “We believe the nominee can serve as a red team within the government.” Although Lee previously served three terms in the National Assembly with the Grand National Party (GNP), a predecessor of the People Power Party, and the Saenuri Party, she is widely recognized as an expert on economic affairs, and the nomination was interpreted as entrusting her with an internal red-team role in the administration.
The term “red team” comes from management and military jargon. It has often been used successfully in corporate settings. In Korea, it is known to have been introduced at Shinhan Bank by Cho Yong-byoung, now chairman of the Korea Federation of Banks, after he became the bank’s president. At every executive meeting, two seats were marked with red flags. The people in those seats were tasked with analyzing the weak points of the strategies on the agenda, criticizing them, and, if necessary, blocking them. They were essentially a built-in group of contrarians. It is a safeguard against adverse selection that can arise from groupthink. Amazon has its own version, the “empty chair.” During meetings, an empty chair is placed and declared to be the customer’s seat. Participants are expected to ask questions and think from the customer’s perspective, with the aim of preventing cognitive bias.
Korea operates under a single five-year presidential term, often described with the prefix “imperial-style.” In such a political environment, the repeated calls for a “red team” are somewhat unexpected. President Lee Jae-myung’s approval rating hovers around 60 percent. Some of that may be a rebound effect from the internal strife within the opposition People Power Party, but the trend is nonetheless stable. The ruling party’s talent pool is ample; it is not as if the government must look outside for a “strategic dissenter.” The remarks by Cho Kuk and the nomination of Lee Hye-hoon are, in that sense, on a different level. Those in power usually prefer to surround themselves with people they find comfortable. They tend to shun words that grate on the ear. History, ancient and modern, attests to this nature of power. If this is a preemptive move based on the recognition that public sentiment can turn harsh and swift at any time, it deserves applause.
With local elections coming up in June, this could also be seen as an electoral tactic to attract centrist voters. Polling organizations broadly agree that roughly eight out of ten Koreans believe the country is deeply polarized politically. Appointments that disregard ideology and factional lines can be read as a signal of national unity. They can also help quell criticism of “code appointments” and favoritism toward close associates. Some have even called it a “stroke of genius.” It will, naturally, be helpful in an election.
But politics and business are fundamentally different. While ethics and trust matter in both, corporate management ultimately prioritizes profit. The role of deliberately raising objections may be assigned, but the purpose is aligned with maximizing profit. Politics is different. It moves like a living organism, and factional logic dominates. Even if the head of state genuinely intends to improve the quality of policymaking, such efforts can easily be dismissed as a mere “unity show” for appearances’ sake.
As one citizen, I hope the red team concept will take root and succeed within this administration. This is separate from any personal likes, dislikes, or political support for Lee Hye-hoon herself. Attempts to recruit and appoint talent broadly, regardless of whether a government is conservative or progressive, deserve positive recognition. The president’s remarks that “those who like blue and hold power cannot turn the entire society blue” and that “those who like red are still citizens of the Republic of Korea and sovereigns of this country” are noteworthy.
The problem is that politics is impossible without trust. The essence of politics is that power is delegated by the people on the basis of trust. Appointing a minister to a government department is itself a political act. Yet trust in Lee Hye-hoon is collapsing even before she stands at the confirmation hearing. Allegations have surfaced ranging from abuse of staff and verbal harassment to suspected inheritance and gift tax evasion and speculative real estate investment on Yeongjong Island. On top of that, there are now suspicions that she inflated the number of dependents to win a so-called “lottery apartment” allocation.
The Minister of Planning and Budget oversees a budget of about 728 trillion won this year. Even lawmakers who loudly criticize ballooning national debt in the National Assembly’s budget-related standing committees end up appealing to the Minister of Planning and Budget after the meetings to secure funds for their constituencies. The proliferation of “note-passed earmarks” during the year-end budget season each year is evidence of the power wielded by the minister in charge of the budget.
There is growing concern over the government’s continued expansionary fiscal policy and the resulting deterioration in fiscal soundness. Even if not for the entire public, at least within the political sphere there needs to be a contrarian group armed with the weapon of trust. They must also pass ethical muster. Only then can they wield real power as a red team capable of putting the brakes on expansionary spending. Whatever the outcome of the “Lee Hye-hoon controversy,” one can only hope that President Lee Jae-myung’s plan to build a red team within his administration will not be abandoned.
mirror@fnnews.com Reporter