[Politics, That Day...] President Park's 'Shield Replacement', Cheong Minjeong Chief Resigns After 40 Days

The Shortest-Serving Cheong Minjung Chief in History, Choi Jae-kyung in 2016... Replaced as the Last Appointment Before Presidential Suspension

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min]

Editor's Note‘Politics, That Day...’ is a series planning corner that looks back on Korean politics through the ‘recollection of memories’ related to notable scenes, events, and figures that deserve attention.

The view of Cheongwadae from Namsan, Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

If you were to name the most famous figure among the senior secretaries at the Blue House during the Park Geun-hye administration, one indispensable figure is Woo Byung-woo, the former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. The Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs is responsible for managing the president’s relatives and verifying high-ranking public officials’ appointments. Often, this position is excluded from attending the National Assembly’s Steering Committee sessions.

The opposition party generally tolerates the absence of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, considering the unique nature of the role. Although the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs holds immense power, what they actually do is rarely exposed to the public.

Recently, as controversy over the position of Shin Hyun-soo, the current Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, has intensified, the keyword ‘Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs’ has once again become the focus of attention. This is because there are speculations that Shin, appointed on December 31 last year, might resign in less than two months. The controversy has paused as Shin left the decision to President Moon Jae-in.

When it was reported that Shin had firmly decided to resign, there was speculation that he might earn the title of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs with the shortest tenure in history. However, reviewing the spectacular history of Korean politics, even if he is replaced immediately, he cannot claim the title of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs with the shortest tenure.

This is because of what happened in December 2016. December 2016 was a special period in Korean politics for various reasons. The unprecedented political schedule that included the National Assembly’s impeachment of the president, the Constitutional Court’s acceptance of the impeachment, and the early presidential election all began then.

Before the December National Assembly held a plenary session and passed the impeachment motion against then-President Park Geun-hye with 234 votes in favor and 56 against, the Blue House made its ‘final personnel appointment.’ The Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was replaced before the president’s suspension from duty.

Given the likely passage of the impeachment motion by the National Assembly and the scheduled proceedings at the Constitutional Court, the importance of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was inevitably high. This position essentially served as President Park’s legal aide, closely cooperating with the defense team as a ‘shield.’

At that time, President Park appointed lawyer Cho Dae-hwan as the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs in her final personnel move. Thanks to that appointment, the person who ended his brief association with the Blue House was Choi Jae-kyung, the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. He resigned just 40 days after being appointed on October 30, 2016.

He earned the title of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs with the shortest tenure in history. Although former Senior Secretary Lee Ho-cheol, the last Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, also had a short tenure of only two months, it was still longer than Choi Jae-kyung’s.

Choi Jae-kyung’s departure was a foreseen step. Amid the impeachment turmoil in the National Assembly, he conveyed his intentions through his resignation letter. He was appointed on October 30, 2016, and submitted his resignation on November 22, less than a month after assuming office.

Choi Jae-kyung stepped down 17 days after submitting his resignation. As a former head of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office’s Central Investigation Department, Choi was a prosecutor known for his expertise in special investigations. He was also the figure who led the so-called ‘prosecutorial chaos’ that resulted in the resignation of Prosecutor General Han Sang-dae during the Lee Myung-bak administration in 2012. There was also interest in whether Choi would join President Park’s defense team, but he did not participate.

The name Choi Jae-kyung is expected to be remembered not only in the history of the prosecution but also in the history of the Blue House’s Senior Secretaries for Civil Affairs. While another Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs with a short tenure may emerge, the general consensus is that it will not be easy to break Choi Jae-kyung’s record of 40 days in office.