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President Lee accepts resignation of senior civil affairs secretary

Published: 13 Jun. 2025, 10:34

Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik announces senior presidential secretaries, including senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Oh Kwang-soo, second from right, during a press briefing at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on June 8. [NEWS1]

President Lee Jae-myung on Friday accepted the resignation of Oh Kwang-soo, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, marking the first high-level departure from the Lee administration.

Kang Yu-jung, spokesperson for the presidential office, said during a briefing that Oh tendered his resignation the night before.

“Given the importance of the civil affairs secretary in enforcing discipline among public officials and overseeing personnel vetting, President Lee accepted the resignation,” Kang said.

She added that a successor would be appointed “in the near future” and would be someone who “deeply understands the president’s commitment to judicial reform and state philosophy.”

Oh, a former elite prosecutor and classmate of President Lee at the Judicial Research and Training Institute, had been described as a key ally in advancing the president’s prosecutorial reform agenda.

At the time of Oh’s appointment, Kang Hoon-sik, chief presidential secretary, emphasized that Oh was “someone who deeply understands the president’s philosophy on prosecutorial reform and would support it fully.”

However, Oh came under scrutiny shortly after his June 8 appointment, when reports emerged that he had allegedly registered property under someone else’s name during his time as a senior prosecutor and failed to include the asset in mandatory financial disclosures.

Further allegations surfaced that in 2007, while serving as a chief prosecutor, Oh asked an acquaintance to secure a multimillion-won loan from a savings bank using real estate as collateral. When repayment issues arose, the bank’s owner allegedly covered part of the debt, fueling further controversy.

Faced with mounting criticism, Oh stepped down just five days after taking office, becoming the first senior official to exit under President Lee.

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY BAE JAE-SUNG [[email protected]]