Yoon shakes up presidential office, adds new senior staff position

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Yoon shakes up presidential office, adds new senior staff position

Published: 30 Nov. 2023, 17:13

From left, Lee Kwan-sup, new chief of policy role, Hwang Sang-moo, new senior secretary to the president for civil and social agenda; Han O-sup, new senior secretary for political affairs; Park Chun-sup, new senior secretary for economic affairs; Lee Do-woon, senior presidential secretary for public relations and Jang Sang-yoon, new senior secretary for social affairs at the Yongsan president’s office on Thursday. [YONHAP]

The presidential office announced a major shake-up on Thursday, replacing everyone on the president's staff except the senior secretary for national policy and chief of staff.

The president’s national policy secretary, Lee Kwan-sup, was appointed chief of staff for policy, a newly created senior position on par with the chief of staff and the national security adviser.

The new position will manage the offices of senior secretaries for economic affairs and social policy, as well as the office of the soon-to-be-created senior secretary for science and technology affairs.

“The new post had been created to strengthen negotiations and coordination between the administration and political parties to push policies quickly,” Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said. “The new post looks after the public's livelihood by evaluating economic policies in depth,” Kim added.

The departments under the policy planning senior secretary, including the national planning, national agenda, policy coordination, government information and speech and communication office, will be placed under the command of the new post.

The office, however, did not give details about the newly created science and technology secretary post or who will take the role.

“It will take time to choose someone,” a high-ranking presidential official said. “Yet we will try to devise a plan for the organization as early as at the end of the year or early next year.”

The senior secretaries of the five remaining offices — political affairs, civil and social agenda, public relations, economic affairs and social policy — have all been changed.

Lee Jin-bok, senior secretary for political affairs, was replaced by Han O-sub, presidential secretary for state affairs monitoring; Kang Seung-gyu, senior secretary to the president for civil and social agenda, by former KBS news anchor Whang Sang-moo; Kim Eun-hye, senior presidential secretary for public relations, by presidential spokesman Lee Do-woon; Choi Sang-mok, senior secretary for economic affairs, by former Vice Finance Minister Park Chun-sup; and Ahn Sang-hoon, senior secretary for social affairs, by former Education Vice Minister Jang Sang-yoon.

The political affairs, social agenda and public relations offices will be organized under the chief of staff, while the economic affairs and social policy offices will be placed under the newly created post headed by Lee Kwan-sup.

President Yoon reportedly trusts Lee, who has played a vital role in resolving significant challenges, including the union strike at Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering a year ago and a strike by cargo truck drivers.

Lee also managed national crises such as the World Scout Jamboree hosted in Buan, North Jeolla, this summer.

Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki announces the president’s new senior secretary at the Yongsan president’s office on Thursday. [YONHAP]

Chief of Staff Kim Dae-ki kept his position despite speculation he was partly to blame for Busan's failure to win its bid to host the World Expo in 2030.

On Wednesday, President Yoon Suk Yeol apologized for missing its prediction on the votes Korea had secured in winning the bid.

Riyadh was named the victor with 119 votes compared to Busan with 29 and Rome with 17.

BY LEE HO-JEONG [lee.hojeong@joongang.co.kr]