President's Office Reorganizes... "We Will Grit Our Teeth and Run Again"

Yoon, Chief Secretary Meeting Raises 'Concerns Over Government Vacuum'
Presidential Office "All Ministries Will Unite on National Tasks"
Waiting for Constitutional Court, Also Interpreted as Highlighting 'Opposition's Obstruction of Government Operations'

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Following the passage of the impeachment motion against Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, the Presidential Office, which had strongly opposed it as a "renunciation of parliamentarism," has reorganized its ranks. Regarding the possibility of appointing a 'powerful vice minister,' the office drew a line and expressed its determination that the Presidential Office and government ministries will not slow down in advancing national agenda tasks to minimize the administrative vacuum. A senior official from the Presidential Office said, "We will grit our teeth and run again."

According to the Presidential Office on the 9th, President Yoon Suk-yeol held a meeting with senior secretaries after arriving at work and conveyed requests regarding public safety and livelihood management. It is known that President Yoon, who was receiving a separate briefing at the time of the passage of Minister Lee's impeachment motion the previous day, was not receiving real-time updates on the National Assembly situation. Another senior official from the Presidential Office added, "(The President) probably anticipated it to some extent," and explained, "The meeting that day was also a routine briefing on current issues and a session to prioritize managing the situation, including a message to address concerns about the administrative vacuum caused by Minister Lee's impeachment."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The day before, the Presidential Office strongly opposed the impeachment by issuing a press release 20 minutes after its passage, stating it would be recorded as a shameful history in legislative affairs, but it appeared to regain composure within a day for normal government operations. Regarding the 'powerful vice minister' appointment mentioned in some quarters, they immediately responded, "Such consideration is not currently underway." Vice Minister Han Chang-seop of the Ministry of the Interior and Safety also chaired an emergency executive meeting to review key issues and instructed, "In this grave situation, please perform your respective roles without wavering."

The Presidential Office also stated that aides and related ministries will join forces to ensure that there are no disruptions in the reform tasks and detailed national agenda items overseen by Minister Lee. Follow-up measures on government reforms recently emphasized by President Yoon are also expected to be discussed with related ministries such as the Presidential Office and the Office for Government Policy Coordination to set the direction.

In political circles, it is believed that the Presidential Office's immediate push for a 'Plan B' right after Minister Lee's impeachment may further provoke the opposition party. With the People Power Party's party convention approaching and President Yoon already embroiled in 'intervention controversies,' additional exhausting conflicts are seen as unnecessary. A ruling party official interpreted, "(The Presidential Office) hoping for the Constitutional Court's judgment is ultimately to prove that the opposition party has hindered national governance."

However, concerns remain that the absence of a minister will weaken the momentum of national agenda tasks that the Ministry of the Interior and Safety must lead. Minister Lee was considered one of President Yoon's closest aides among the appointed cabinet members and showed strong drive during the establishment of the Police Bureau within the ministry. Last July, Minister Lee harshly criticized police superintendents opposing the establishment of the Police Bureau, likening the situation to the '12.12 coup d'?tat by the Hana Association.' A Presidential Office official said, "The reforms and national agenda promoted by the government are not decided solely by a single ministry's judgment or finalized as public policies," but admitted, "However, since the judgment and role of the competent ministry are as important as the President's thoughts in the policy-making process, there will inevitably be some temporal impact."