[Editorial] An alarming change of hands before summits

The presidential office’s foreign and security affairs front is undergoing a reshuffle ahead of President Yoon Suk Yeol’s state visit to the United States next month. Yoon’s secretary on foreign affairs Lee Moon-hee has recently been replaced. His secretary of protocol Kim Il-bum also resigned about a week before Yoon’s visit to Japan on March 16. The shakeup in the working-level officials responsible for summit arrangements is quite rare ahead of important events for the president.

The unsettling signs show even at higher-level officials in the presidential office. National Security Adviser Kim Sung-han resigned today. But watchers raised the possibility that the president could have found key information and reports missing while preparing for his state visit to the U.S. The White House reportedly tapped a K-pop program timed with Yoon’s visit. However, as the request had not been briefed to Yoon timely, the K-pop arrangement faced a hiccup, according to news reports. The diplomatic and security aides to the president appear to be shaken, while the exact reason for the replacement was not known.

The signs of disquiet can bode poorly for Yoon’s successive summit schedules. He heads to the U.S. on April 26 and attends the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima on May 11-13, as well as a separate summit with U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishda. The replaced secretary accompanied Yoon to Japan and attended his summit meeting with Kishda earlier this month. He had been managing foreign affairs for Yoon since his inauguration in May 2022. The resignation of Kim, who had just returned from the U.S. to coordinate a state visit, is more baffling.

Lee’s replacement is said to have been made at his own request due to overwork. Outsiders speculate an internal clash in the presidential office over fixing Yoon’s schedules for upcoming summits.

There is even speculation about a power feud in the presidential office. Former National Intelligence Service chief Park Jie-won claimed that Kim Tae-hyo, a deputy at the National Security Office, is trying to push out his boss after taking command. Presidential aides can be replaced if the need arises. But replacements at a critical moment can only make noise. The presidential office must restore house order quickly as foreign and security affairs need special care in the face of ever-escalating threats from North Korea and geopolitical tensions.