President Yoon Suk-yeol has established the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs and appointed former Deputy Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun (63, Judicial Research and Training Institute class 18) to the position.
On the morning of the 7th, President Yoon personally announced the appointment of former Deputy Minister Kim as the new Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs at the briefing room of the Presidential Office in Yongsan, Seoul.
Previously, after winning the last presidential election, President Yoon abolished the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs position, citing past abuses where the office oversaw investigative agencies and interfered in investigations. However, following the defeat in the April 10 general election, there was a strong call to strengthen public sentiment listening functions, leading to a reversal in his stance toward reinstating the office.
President Yoon also took questions on the day.
When asked why he revived the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, he said, "In an interview in July 2021 when I started my political career, I stated that if I became president, I would not establish the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, and I have maintained that position. However, the function of listening to public sentiment was too weak, and I received a lot of advice from editorials and those around me."
He continued, "I was concerned because civil affairs were not being properly handled. Former President Kim Dae-jung also initially only had the Legal Secretary’s Office due to concerns about dysfunction but eventually restored the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs two years after his inauguration. I also thought it would be better to restore the office."
He added, "During a meeting with Representative Lee Jae-myung last time, the opposition party delegation pointed out the need for the function of listening to public sentiment. They said it seemed that frontline public sentiment was not being conveyed to the president and mentioned the restoration of the Office of the Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs."
President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering questions from reporters while introducing Kim Joo-hyun, former Deputy Minister of Justice, who has been appointed as the new Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs, at the Presidential Office building in Yongsan, Seoul, on the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
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