Yoon Adjusts Official Schedule for Two Consecutive Days... Contemplates Current Issues During Briefings
Officially Establishes Policy Chief Position... Lee Gwan-seop Promoted and Appointed in Three-Office System
Reorganization and Cabinet Reshuffle Announcements Under Coordination... Expo Recovery Voices Also to Be Reflected
President Yoon Suk-yeol decided on the 30th to create a new position of Chief of Policy Office within the Presidential Office and promoted Lee Gwan-seop, the Senior Secretary for National Planning, to fill the role. This move marks President Yoon's signal for a government reform as he began reshaping the political landscape by adjusting official schedules for two consecutive days following the crushing defeat in the bid to host the Busan World Expo. However, the timing for further restructuring and personnel announcements remains under consideration.
Kim Eun-hye, the Senior Secretary for Public Relations, held a briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office that morning, officially announcing the establishment of the Chief of Policy Office within the Presidential Office. She explained, "The Chief of Policy Office will oversee the Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs and the Senior Secretary for Social Affairs, and the soon-to-be-formed Senior Secretary for Science and Technology will also be placed under the Chief of Policy Office."
The creation of the Chief of Policy Office aims to strengthen coordination and consultation functions with the Cabinet and the ruling party to accelerate policy implementation and conduct a more thorough review of economic policies. Above all, it reflects President Yoon's determination to focus more on policy areas for the people's livelihood ahead of the general elections. With this, the Presidential Office will shift from the current two-chief system?comprising the Chief of Staff and the Director of National Security Office?to a three-chief system. The existing Senior Secretary for National Planning Office will be dissolved, and the Senior Secretaries for Economic and Social Affairs will move under the Chief of Policy Office to increase focus on policy matters.
This restructuring is also expected to reduce the burden on Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi, who currently manages both political and policy areas. By allowing the Senior Secretaries for Political Affairs, Civil Society, and Public Relations under him to concentrate on political matters, the Chief of Policy Office can focus solely on policy. The Office of Future Strategy Planning, which was responsible for the Expo bid within the Presidential Office, is effectively entering the process of being abolished.
Regarding the Senior Secretary for Science and Technology, appointments are underway, but it will take some time to finalize the detailed structure. A senior official from the Presidential Office stated, "We have decided to establish the Senior Secretary for Science and Technology, but the appointment process is taking time. Nevertheless, we plan to form it within this year or early next year." Additionally, the government reshuffle is expected to be expedited in conjunction with the Presidential Office reorganization. There is growing speculation in political circles that Foreign Minister Park Jin, who was initially expected to remain in office, might be replaced due to the fallout from the failed Expo bid.
The aftermath of the Expo bid failure remains intense. Criticism has spread nationwide, not only within political circles but also among the public. President Yoon's adjustment of official schedules for two consecutive days and his initiation of political planning are interpreted as responses to this situation. The Presidential Office plans to carry out a large-scale replacement of senior secretaries soon. The timing of the announcement is currently being finalized, with a Presidential Office official stating, "The failure of the Expo bid necessitates a change in the atmosphere within the Presidential Office and government organizations," adding, "Both the restructuring and the cabinet reshuffle will be brought forward."
Initially, it was speculated within the Presidential Office that President Yoon might start the reorganization after exercising his veto power on the 'Yellow Envelope Act' (amendment to the Labor Union and Labor Relations Adjustment Act) and the 'Broadcasting Three Acts' (amendments to the Broadcasting Act, the Korea Broadcasting Culture Promotion Foundation Act, and the Korea Educational Broadcasting System Act). However, as criticism over the President's responsibility for the Expo bid failure intensified, a significant turning point became necessary. Although President Yoon personally took responsibility for the failure, the 'crushing defeat' result showed limits in swaying public opinion. Some insiders hinted at the rushed announcement of the organizational restructuring and the simultaneous replacement of the five senior secretaries on the same day for this reason. They judged that it would be easier to seize the momentum of reform politics rather than delay the announcement.
Within the Presidential Office, voices are reportedly emerging that prioritizing measures to manage the aftermath of the Expo results is essential. The postponement of the 3rd meeting of the Defense Innovation Committee, which President Yoon was scheduled to attend the previous day, and the decision to receive only briefings without official schedules on the 30th reveal the President's deep contemplation. On that day, President Yoon delegated the scheduled national agenda review meeting to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho and received reports on ongoing matters.
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