Chief Presidential Secretary Loses 5kg... "Admiring President Lee's Work"

Kang Hoonshik, Chief Presidential Secretary, posts on Facebook
"Still watching in admiration"

Kang Hoonshik, the first Chief Presidential Secretary under President Lee Jaemyung's administration, shared his impressions after closely assisting the president for a month.

On the morning of July 5, Kang wrote on Facebook, "I am working well and staying healthy. So many people have expressed concern that I almost feel overwhelmed. I am really doing well." Previously, Park Jumin, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on CBS Radio's "Kim Hyunjung's News Show" on June 27, "Kang has lost 5kg in the past month."

Yonhap News Agency

This is the first time Kang has shared an update on social media since his appointment on June 4. He wrote, "I said I would work as if I had always been the Chief Presidential Secretary, but in hindsight, it seems the first two weeks were a period of adjustment, like overcoming jet lag." He added, "I have come to feel keenly that not only my words and responsibilities, but even my body weight, facial expressions, and complexion are given meaning." He continued, "I will strive to become a more composed and trustworthy Chief Presidential Secretary."

Kang also shared his thoughts on working with President Lee. He said, "The president works as if he has always been president," and "Even though we spend countless hours together in meetings and briefings, I still find myself watching in admiration." He added, "I would like to share all these stories, but given the limits of my memory and the likely objections from the presidential office, I will leave them for another time."

Regarding the atmosphere in the presidential office, Kang said, "Recently, I have started to see people greeting each other in the hallways with smiles," and "Whenever I see such people, I feel a deep sense of pride, thinking, 'We are finally finding our stability.' At the same time, I feel boundless respect and gratitude for the public servants who are accomplishing all of this with only their sense of responsibility and individual abilities, despite the lack of any handover process."

Kang emphasized that the background for posting his message was President Lee's commitment to communication. Kang said, "Have you felt the president's strong will to communicate with the people over the past few days?" He added, "Even the suggestion to use the Chief Presidential Secretary's previously closed social media as a channel for communication with the public was an instruction from the president himself."