[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] The Blue House confirmed that Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Shin Hyun-soo did express his intention to resign, but President Moon Jae-in persuaded him to stay, so there is still no change in his position. Regarding allegations of 'Shin Hyun-soo being bypassed' during the prosecution personnel process, the Blue House dismissed them as "an overinterpretation."
A senior Blue House official told reporters on the 17th, "During the prosecution personnel process, the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs expressed his intention to resign several times, but each time President Moon persuaded him, so there has been no change in his position."
The official explained the background of Shin's resignation intention, saying, "Recently, during the prosecution personnel process, there were differing views between the prosecution and the Ministry of Justice, and there were disagreements during the coordination process."
Regarding some reports suggesting disagreements between 'Cho Kuk's faction' Lee Kwang-cheol, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, and Shin, the official strongly denied, saying, "There have been portrayals of a 'power struggle' between the two, but there were no internal disagreements within the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs' office during the personnel process. The reports that Lee sided with the Minister of Justice and 'bypassed' the Senior Secretary are entirely separate matters." The disagreements during the personnel process were between the Ministry of Justice and Shin, and Shin and Lee shared the same views on personnel matters.
Shin continued to attend meetings until the morning of the day but has not withdrawn his intention to resign. A Blue House official said, "The personnel direction seen by the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, the Ministry of Justice's view, and the prosecution's wishes may differ. It seems the Senior Secretary intended to mediate between them, and I think he expressed his intention to resign because the announcement was made while this coordination was still ongoing."
When asked whether the Ministry of Justice bypassed Shin, the official responded, "Documents are not flying around like paper airplanes; reports go through the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, so it cannot be considered bypassing. There were cases where announcements were made while the coordination process was ongoing."
When asked if the president's approval of a personnel plan that was not coordinated meant that the president's intentions were reflected in this personnel decision, the official said, "The coordination process includes the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. Please do not involve the president in this."
The Blue House official also dismissed reports that President Moon was furious because he could not block the warrant for former Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Baek Woon-kyu, which supposedly led to Shin being bypassed, saying, "There is no relation at all. The Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice also said, '(The nuclear power plant shutdown) is a presidential campaign pledge and a core project of this administration, so it is unacceptable that it becomes a judicial matter,' and the president was never angry about the warrant."
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