Chief Secretary and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Appointments Announced Directly
"Will Also Listen Carefully to Voices from the Field of Public Livelihood"
President Yoon Suk-yeol personally introduced Hong Cheol-ho, the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs of the Presidential Office, at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 22nd. [Image source=Yonhap News]
On the 22nd, President Yoon Suk-yeol appointed former People Power Party lawmaker Hong Cheol-ho as the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the presidential office. Following the morning appointment of Rep. Jeong Jin-seok of the People Power Party as the new Chief of Staff, succeeding Lee Gwan-seop, President Yoon accelerated personnel reshuffling by selecting former Rep. Hong as the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs in the afternoon.
President Yoon personally announced the appointment of former Rep. Hong as the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Yongsan presidential office in the afternoon. On the same day, President Yoon came down to the briefing room twice to announce the appointments directly to reporters. Given the growing need for personnel reform following the April 10 general election defeat, the appointments of the Chief of Staff and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs were finalized, reflecting the intention to thoroughly prepare for the upcoming meeting with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, scheduled for this week.
President Yoon introduced Hong to reporters, saying, "I have reviewed this in the morning and again now. Former Rep. Hong Cheol-ho will take on the role of Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the presidential office." He added, "You all know him as a two-term lawmaker from Gimpo, and before being a politician, he is a self-made entrepreneur who overcame adversity. I heard from many people in the party that he is highly communicative and personable, and above all, as a self-made businessman, I believe he will listen well to the voices from the field of public livelihood."
Regarding the background of the Senior Secretary appointment and the timing of the successor Prime Minister appointment, President Yoon explained, "It seems the successor Prime Minister will take some time. Since I proposed inviting Lee Jae-myung to Yongsan last Friday, there are various discussions to be had with him. I judged that it would be better to appoint the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs quickly so that the new secretary can prepare and proceed."
New Senior Secretary Hong was born in 1958 in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, and graduated from Yesan Agricultural Specialized School (now Kongju National University College of Industrial Sciences). He is regarded as a pioneering figure in the industry, having founded the chicken processing company Krechiko and the chicken franchise 'Goobne Chicken.'
He became a member of the National Assembly by winning the 2014 Gimpo by-election and was re-elected in the 2016 20th general election after electoral district reorganization, running in Gimpo-eul. During the 2017 19th presidential election, while affiliated with the Bareun Party, he served as chief of staff to then-presidential candidate Yoo Seung-min. After rejoining, he served as chief of staff to Kim Byung-joon, emergency committee chairman of the Liberty Korea Party (predecessor of the People Power Party).
Within the ruling party, he is evaluated as having led rational legislative activities. He ran for Gimpo-eul in the 21st and 22nd general elections but consecutively placed second and was defeated. Former Rep. Hong raised the issue of incorporating Gimpo into Seoul during this election.
Senior Secretary Hong said, "It has been a long time since I stood in such a position. It feels too big for me, so I have many worries," adding, "I spent a lot of time wondering if I was the right person for this role. But fate slowly came to me like this, and I decided to accept fate as fate." He continued, "The election results were a referendum on public sentiment without me having to ask. I think the political affairs side should fill that result. I plan to approach this role half by learning and half by using my parliamentary experience in a friendly manner," expressing his thoughts.
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