President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said on Friday that dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic is the top priority for the presidential transition team as the committee began its 53-day tenure as the country's chief executive.

Yoon, speaking at the committee's first general meeting, requested that the special committee in charge of dealing with the COVID-19 crisis concentrate on the damage compensation system for sole proprietors as well as preventive measures to control the spread of the disease, citing the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

The committee's work will not only include developing a blueprint for the country's participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, but it will also examine the country's slow growth rate and polarization in order to come up with medium- and long-term plans to address the issues, according to Chairman Yoon.

Ahn Cheol-soo, the committee's chairman, promised to do all in his power, adding that the success of the transition committee will be a barometer for the performance of the incoming administration.

"It is 53 days till the inauguration, and I believe we will have to labor without taking any vacations or weekends to prepare for it. "I ask that all of you be committed to completing the work, and I will do my best to assist you," Ahn stated in his speech.

As part of his proposal, Ahn asked that the committee members refrain from revealing their personal thoughts to the public while working on the establishment of government objectives.

At the general meeting, the committee approved two proposals: one on the committee's operating procedures and another on the committee's budget.

Specifically, the transition committee will have a general meeting on Mondays at 10 a.m., while meetings of the subcommittee leaders and the chairman will be held on a daily basis, according to the office of the committee's spokesperson.

Prior to the meeting, the presidential committee had a signboard-hanging ceremony at the committee's headquarters, which was set up in the Financial Advisory Service's training center in Tongui-dong, Jongno in Seoul, before the meeting.

Yoon and Ahn Cheol-soo were in attendance, as was the committee's deputy chairman, Rep. Kwon Young-se, as well as other committee members and staff personnel. Aside from that, Lee Jun-seok, the head of the main opposition People Power Party, to which the president-elect belongs, was also in attendance.

After that, Yoon attended a luncheon with members of the People Power Party's leadership, including the party's chairman, floor leader Rep. Kim Ki-hyun, and main policymaker Yu Eui-dong, as well as Chung Jin-suk, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.