Kim Il-beom, Presidential Office Protocol Secretary, Resigns... "Personal Reasons"

Last Week, Resignation Offered to President Yoon... Aide Since President-Elect Period

Kim Il-beom, the Protocol Secretary at the Presidential Office, is reported to have recently resigned voluntarily. This has created a vacancy among key aides ahead of the upcoming Korea-Japan summit this week and the Korea-US summit next month.

According to the Presidential Office on the 12th, Secretary Kim submitted his resignation to President Yoon Seok-yeol last week. On the 10th, he reportedly informed several Presidential Office staff of his resignation, conveying the message "Wishing everyone success." In response, the Presidential Office plans to have the Senior Administrative Officer act as the Protocol Secretary in an interim capacity and is expected to proceed with recommending a successor. However, Secretary Kim's resignation is not considered a dismissal.

Secretary Kim entered public service by passing the 33rd Foreign Service Examination and served as Director of the North America Division 2 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is also known for interpreting for former presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, and Lee Myung-bak. In March 2022, during the Presidential Transition Committee period, he began working alongside President Yoon as an aide to the president-elect.