[Yongsan Report] All Senior Staff Resign... Chaos in the Presidential Office

General Election Defeat Prompts Personnel Overhaul
Attention on President Yoon's Acceptance of Resignation
Presidential Office: "Positions Recently Established or with High Replacement Risk Likely to Be Maintained"

Lee Gwan-seop, Chief of Staff to the President, is heading to the microphone on the morning of the 11th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul to give a briefing related to the 22nd general election.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

"We are quietly waiting for the president's decision. We have to see how far the changes will go."

Amid President Yoon Seok-yeol's announcement of personnel reshuffling following the crushing defeat in the general election, the presidential office staff is in considerable turmoil. The day before, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, Presidential Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, and all senior aides collectively tendered their resignations, drawing attention to how extensively the president will accept these resignations. President Yoon is seriously considering replacing Prime Minister Han, Secretary Lee Gwan-seop, and senior aides Han Oh-seop (Political Affairs) and Lee Do-woon (Public Relations), but senior presidential officials remain tight-lipped about the personnel changes. Kim Han-gil, chairman of the National Unity Committee, is a strong candidate for the top priority replacement position of Secretary, while Shin Ji-ho, a former Saenuri Party lawmaker and political director of the Yoon Seok-yeol campaign, is rumored to be considered for the currently vacant positions of Senior Secretary for Civil Society or Political Affairs.

The biggest point of interest is the scope of this reshuffle. A presidential office official said, "Although all senior aides have expressed their intention to resign, it is practically difficult to accept all resignations at once for the sake of government operations," adding, "Positions that were recently changed, newly created, or carry high replacement risks are likely to be maintained." Sung Tae-yoon, the Policy Chief appointed last December who is leading medical reform, is highly likely to remain, and the National Security Office has been excluded from this resignation wave considering diplomatic and security circumstances.

The Prime Minister's Office is also in a chaotic state. Since the new Prime Minister must lead cooperation in a situation where the ruling party holds fewer seats than the opposition, it is known that multiple candidates are being carefully considered. However, some candidates rumored for the Prime Minister position have expressed reluctance, hoping not to be mentioned. They must overcome the opposition's confirmation hurdles and address the current government's difficulties, which entails political risks. Especially since Prime Minister and ministerial candidates must go through parliamentary confirmation hearings, the selection process is expected to take some time due to the burden involved.

It also seems inevitable to replace heads of some ministries whose timing for change has come or whose performance has fallen short of expectations. Ministers such as Social Affairs Deputy Prime Minister Lee Joo-ho, Minister of the Interior and Safety Lee Sang-min, Minister of Science and ICT Lee Jong-ho, Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik, and Minister of Health and Welfare Cho Kyu-hong are mentioned as replacement candidates. A presidential office official said, "In some cases, administrative officers must be relocated following the replacement of senior secretaries," adding, "Everyone is cautiously watching the situation."