[The Editors' Verdict] Was the Cabinet Reshuffle a Reform?

There is an evaluation that appointing former Minister of the Interior and Safety Kim Boo-kyum as Prime Minister is a 'unified personnel' decision. Candidate Kim is a representative politician from Daegu and Gyeongbuk (TK). Considering that the two former prime ministers, Lee Nak-yeon and Chung Sye-kyun, are from Honam, the term 'unification' seems to refer to balancing regional origins, that is, regional integration. It is said that the ruling party, feeling a sense of crisis 11 months before the presidential election, had been demanding the appointment of a prime minister from TK. If the president responded to this, it is more accurate to interpret the prime minister appointment as an election card in preparation for next year's presidential election rather than a reform.

President Moon Jae-in said the day after the April 7 by-elections, which ended in a crushing defeat for the ruling party, "We take the people's reprimand seriously." To take the reprimand seriously, one must first properly understand what the people are criticizing. There is little disagreement that the public's anger stems from the noise around prosecutorial reform and real estate issues. President Moon's thoughts are likely similar. However, through this personnel appointment, President Moon clearly indicated his intention to maintain the current government policy direction. Choosing a bureaucrat as the Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport for the first time in this administration signifies that the real estate policy direction will not change. Excluding the Minister of Justice from the reshuffle is also the same. The president seems to interpret the election loss as due to insufficient performance of government tasks. Therefore, while the people demand change, the strange response is "We will work harder."

More people support prosecutorial reform than oppose it. Few would oppose the current government's efforts to stabilize housing prices. However, the various phenomena witnessed during the process of pursuing these tasks?the arrogant attitude and corruption of the entrenched powers within the current government, summarized as double standards, and the belief that procedures can be ignored as long as the goal is right?might be what the people were reprimanding. The only way to interpret the bizarre situation where many people support prosecutorial reform yet consider former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl, who resisted reform, as a presidential candidate is this.

Appointing Lee Cheol-hee, director of the Knowledge Design Institute, as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs is perhaps the only reform-worthy move in this personnel reshuffle. Lee, a non-Moon Jae-in faction figure, has voiced critical opinions of the government through newspaper columns and TV appearances after deciding not to run in last year's general election. After the appointment announcement, he said, "I will be an aide who can say no to the president." This inaugural remark recalls another aide who used to say 'no' to the president.

At the end of last year, President Moon appointed Shin Hyun-soo as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs to promote reforms that sufficiently reflect the prosecution's position and secure procedural legitimacy. Expectations were high for the first prosecution-origin Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs. His mission was likely to act as a bridge between the Minister of Justice and the Prosecutor General, who were locked in a strong confrontation. However, the Blue House mostly ignored his proposals to change government policy and even 'passed over' him in prosecutorial personnel matters. Feeling limited, Shin resigned two months after his appointment.

Senior Secretary Lee, who conveys the public and political sentiment to the president, structurally shares the same mission as former Senior Secretary Shin. Will Senior Secretary Lee be able to break through the curtain of benevolence and finally approach the president closely? Can he achieve a dramatic reversal that changes the president's perception of reality? The point at which he returns to the Knowledge Design Institute will allow us to predict the success or failure of this administration and the outcome of next year's presidential election in advance.

Shin Beom-su, Chief of Political Affairs