[Q&A] Resurrection of 'Chief of Civil Affairs' Kim Juhyun, Former Deputy Minister of Justice... "Focus on Livelihood" vs "Another Prosecutor Background"

Focus on Listening to Public Sentiment Ahead of General Election
Adjusting Names for 'Minjeong, Minsaeng, Minjeong Communication'
Opposition: "No Reason to Appoint Former Prosecutors"
Nominees Expected to Excel in Work Ability and Communication

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Yoon Suk-yeol is set to revive the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs position to strengthen the function of gathering public opinion, and plans to carry out personnel and organizational reshuffles around the 10th, marking his second anniversary in office. It has been reported that Kim Joo-hyun (63, 18th Judicial Research and Training Institute), former Deputy Minister of Justice, has been nominated for the newly established Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs in the Presidential Office.

Q. Why is the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs being revived?

This move is aimed at listening to and gathering public sentiment following the crushing defeat in the general election. Hong Cheol-ho, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office, appeared on MBC Radio's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus' on the morning of the 3rd and said, "We are reviewing several versions of the title, including ‘Civil Affairs’, ‘People’s Livelihood’, and ‘Civil Communication’." However, the opposition parties are opposing the appointment, arguing that if the purpose is to listen to public sentiment, there is no reason to appoint a former prosecutor as the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.

In the newly established Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs office, it is highly likely that the Office of Public Service Discipline and the Legal Secretary Office, currently under the Chief of Staff, will be overseen, while a new Civil Affairs Secretary Office responsible for listening to public sentiment will be created. The previously considered abolition of the Senior Secretary for Civil Society is now leaning towards retention, with Jeon Gwang-sam, former Secretary for Citizen Communication, being mentioned. President Yoon is also reviewing the reorganization of the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs office, and in this regard, Kim Jang-soo, director of the Jangsan Policy Research Institute, is undergoing personnel screening by the Presidential Office. Kim served as Senior Secretary for Political Affairs when Jeong Jin-seok was Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and was the head of the policy team for Yoon Suk-yeol’s presidential campaign.

Q. Why was former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun nominated?

A. Kim Joo-hyun is recognized as a prosecutor who excelled both in investigative skills and planning abilities. In 1993, when he was a fifth-year prosecutor, he worked alongside President Yoon, who had just been appointed as a prosecutor, at the Daegu District Prosecutors’ Office. He has served as the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, overseeing important and sensitive investigations, and as Director of the Prosecutor’s Office at the Ministry of Justice, managing the prosecution’s budget and personnel. A former high-ranking prosecutor who worked under him said, "He was not only good at investigations but also a style that executed tasks sharply when assigned." He is also evaluated as being skilled in communication due to his unique affinity.

Q. Who is the nominee Kim Joo-hyun?

Born in Seoul, he graduated from Seorabeol High School and Seoul National University Law School. After completing the 18th Judicial Research and Training Institute, he began his career as a prosecutor at the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office in 1989. Among the senior prosecutors nationwide, he served as the most senior chief prosecutor of the Criminal Division 1 at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office and later as the 3rd Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the same office. In August 2011, he was promoted to Chief Prosecutor and appointed Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Daejeon District Prosecutors’ Office. He subsequently held key positions at the Ministry of Justice, including Director of the Planning and Coordination Office and Director of the Prosecutor’s Office. In February 2015, he served as Deputy Minister of Justice and was appointed as the Deputy Chief Prosecutor of the Supreme Prosecutors’ Office, the second-highest position in the prosecution, in December of the same year. After opening a law firm in 2017, he worked at Baeksan Joint Law Office before moving to Kim & Chang Law Office in 2021.

Q. Will the Presidential Office continue its 'communication enhancement' efforts?

The Presidential Office is preparing for a press conference marking the second anniversary of the inauguration. It is expected to be conducted in the traditional format of receiving questions from the press corps covering the Presidential Office and responding to them. Senior Secretary Hong said on the day, "We are preparing not to go beyond the inauguration day (May 10th)."