Senior Secretary Kim Jowon’s Uneasy Exit, Chief Secretary Noh Youngmin’s 'Bad Blood' Revisited

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[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jung-min] Kim Jo-won, the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs who has a 'bad history' with Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min, left behind some remarks even as he was exiting the Blue House. On the 10th, Kim was the only 'retiring senior secretary' who did not appear at the announcement of senior secretary personnel held at the Blue House Chunghwagwan.

Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, and Kim Geo-seong, Senior Secretary for Civil Society, each expressed their farewell remarks and wished for the success of the Moon Jae-in administration, but Kim Jo-won did not deliver a separate message.

This has led to speculation that Kim was dissatisfied with the Blue House personnel decisions. Previously, Kim also did not appear at the Blue House senior secretaries and aides meeting presided over by President Moon. It could have been his last Blue House meeting in his life, but he did not attend. This has sparked discussions in political circles about the long-standing bad relationship between Chief of Staff Noh and Kim.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The reason Kim's words and actions attracted attention is that he is at the center of the controversial Blue House-originated multi-homeowner issue. Kim owns houses in Dogok-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, and Jamsil-dong, Songpa-gu, with the Jamsil apartment reportedly put up for sale. The problem arose when controversy erupted over listing the apartment at a price higher than the market value, leading to criticism that he might not actually intend to sell it.

Moreover, media reports that Noh and Kim raised their voices over the multi-homeowner issue further worsened public opinion. Kang Min-seok, Blue House spokesperson, clarified, "The part about (Noh and Kim) raising their voices and arguing several times in public meetings is simply fake news."

Interest in the relationship between Noh and Kim is not unrelated to their bad history dating back to 2015. At that time, Noh, then a member of the National Assembly, was accused of forcibly selling his poetry collection to institutions under his supervision. Kim was the party auditor of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy at the time. The party auditor requested disciplinary action, and the party decided on a six-month suspension of qualifications. This was the reason Noh announced he would not run in the 20th general election in 2016.

When Noh and Kim worked together at the Blue House, the 2015 incident regained attention and was reexamined amid recent personnel controversies. When Noh recommended that those at the Blue House at the vice-minister level or higher with two or more houses in the metropolitan area sell all but one, political circles focused their attention on Kim. Noh's criticism was seen as ultimately targeting Kim, who owns two houses in the 'Gangnam 3 districts.'

If Kim had shared his thoughts at Chunghwagwan that day, the controversy might have been resolved, but in the end, he did not take the microphone, leaving suspicions intact. Jin Sung-jun, a Democratic Party lawmaker, appeared on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 11th and pointed out, "Usually, retiring senior secretaries stop by the Blue House press room to say their final goodbyes, but Kim did not appear there," adding, "The conclusion was somewhat untidy."