2024-05-07 19:57:56
The Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs was revived after two years.
Former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun appointed as chief
野 “Intention to control assessment agencies such as prosecutors and police”
Civil Affairs Secretary Lee Dong-ok, Public Official Discipline Lee Won-mo
On the 7th, President Yoon Seok-yeol officially announced the establishment of a new Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs and appointed former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun (63, 18th class of the Judicial Research and Training Institute) as the first senior secretary. With the passage of the Special Prosecutor Act on Corporal Chae and the prosecution’s investigation into the controversy over Ms. Kim Kun-hee’s receipt of luxury Dior bags, the system of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was revived for the first time in two years, and the opposition party protested, saying, “It is a stepping stone to take control of the judicial body and respond to judicial risks.” . Lee Dong-ok, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, was appointed as the first Civil Affairs Secretary, and former Personnel Secretary Lee Won-mo was appointed as the successor to Presidential Public Discipline Secretary Lee Si-won, who announced his resignation.
On this day, President Yoon visited the Yongsan Presidential Office briefing room and personally announced the appointment of Senior Secretary Kim, saying, “We have maintained the policy of not establishing the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, but the function of listening to public sentiment was too weak,” and added, “I am also concerned about the fact that the civil affairs work is not working properly.” “I thought it would be a good idea to restore it,” he explained. In response to the view that the establishment of a new chief was aimed at responding to his ‘judicial risk’, he said, “If there is a judicial risk, it is a matter that I must deal with,” and added, “I think if there is anything raised about me, I should explain and resolve it, not the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.” . President Yoon’s reorganization of the Presidential Office ahead of the second anniversary of his inauguration is interpreted as an intention to revive the driving force in state administration that was weakened by the crushing defeat in the April 10 general elections. Under the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, the secretaries for public service discipline, law, and civil affairs are assigned. It is reported that the newly established Office of the Secretary for Civil Affairs will be in charge of listening to public opinion and identifying public opinion trends.
Former Secretary Lee, who served as Presidential Personnel Secretary as a key close associate of President Yoon and ran for office in Yongin-gap, Gyeonggi Province, as a People Power Party candidate in the April 10 general elections but lost, was appointed as Secretary for Public Service Discipline. As the two secretaries under the senior secretary for civil affairs are former prosecutors, their control over the assessment agency is expected to increase. A ruling party official predicted, “The functions of inspecting public institutions and managing relatives will be maintained under the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, and the Secretary for Public Service Discipline will assume this role.”
The Democratic Party of Korea criticized, “The Office of the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs has been used to strengthen the centralized presidential system by controlling assessment agencies such as the prosecution and the police, and will be used in that way again this time.” The Fatherland Innovation Party also argued, “Completely cancel the revival of the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, which aims to privatize the prosecution.”
Appointment of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs from Hong, saying he listens to public opinion…野 “For preparation of the special prosecutor’s office”
Former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun as Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs
Interpretation of the opposition party’s ‘control of investigations such as Dior bags’… Yong clenched his fist and rebutted, “Strengthening listening to public sentiment.”
“In any country, a lawyer leads the intelligence department.”
Internally, “We may provide advice on various special prosecution matters”
“If there is a judicial risk, it is my problem to deal with, not mine…” . “If there are any issues raised about me, I think I should explain and resolve them, not the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs.”
President Yoon Seok-yeol made this statement on the 7th regarding the opposition party’s ‘controversy over control of the assessment agency’ that arose when he appointed former Vice Minister of Justice Kim Joo-hyun as Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs. In between explanations, he clenched his fists or opened both hands, directly refuting the controversy, saying it was because he realized the need to strengthen the ability to listen to public opinion. Nevertheless, suspicions that the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs was revived to prevent power leakage after the crushing defeat in the general election, to use the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs as a ‘shield’ to control the regulatory agencies in the context of the controversy over the receipt of First Lady Kim Kun-hee’s Dior bag and the investigation into suspicions of stock price manipulation by Deutsche Motors do not appear to be subsiding. Accordingly, it is expected that the evaluation of President Yoon’s reversal of his existing promise and the revival of the Office of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs will vary depending on how the function of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs is established and functions in the future.
● Opposition party “Resurrection of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, preparation for various special prosecutions”
The President’s Office explained the establishment of the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs as “an extension of the ongoing personnel reform and change in the way state administration is run.” President Yoon also announced the selection of Chief Kim at the Yongsan Presidential Office briefing room on the 7th, saying, “I was concerned because the function of listening to public opinion was too weak. All administrations do this for a reason, but I was also concerned because they said the civil affairs work was not working properly.” “I thought it would be a good idea to restore it,” he explained. The explanation is that advice to revive the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs continued to be given due to the repeated failure to listen to public opinion after taking office, such as the cause of the crushing defeat in the general election, the failure of the Saemangeum Jamboree, and the failure of the 2030 World Expo, and ultimately, after much deliberation, President Yoon made the decision.
However, the reason for the revival was to strengthen the ‘capacity to listen to public opinion’, but with the appointment of former Vice Minister Kim, who has a thorough knowledge of the prosecution organization, as the new chief, suspicions of ‘an intention to take over the investigation agency’ continue. Some point out, “Aren’t they trying to create a political situation through various investigations and prepare for various special prosecutions, including the special prosecution of First Lady Kim Kun-hee, in order to break through the ruling party opposition situation after the general election?” The opposition party is expected to intensify its offensive as the Office of the Secretary for Public Service Discipline and the Office of the Legal Secretary can present opinions on the selection of public service inspections and judicial prosecutors, respectively.
President Yoon seemed to be aware of these concerns and said, “Not only in Korea but in all countries around the world, we ensure that departments that handle information are led by lawyers and are conducted within the framework of the rule of law.” He said, “It is being established for the people,” and “since the chief secretary is not a lawyer, the need for a chief secretary to coordinate public service discipline and legal work has been raised.” The intention is to emphasize the legitimacy of appointing a former prosecutor as senior civil affairs secretary. A high-ranking official in the Presidential Office also said, “We are trying to create (the functions of the Office of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs) through consultation,” and added, “If you look at the career of the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, there was investigation, but most of it was planning work.” They seem to be trying to highlight that the assessment function is not the key point in reviving the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs.
● Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, personnel verification, inspection, and public sentiment report… “Influence on the assessment agency”
Chief Kim met with reporters that day and said, “We created a new Office of the Secretary for Civil Affairs, which did not exist before, and its function is mainly to listen to public sentiment. He explained, “The public service discipline and legal secretary offices will be transferred to carry out the work.”
As is currently the case, the Office of the Secretary for Public Official Discipline is responsible for the final personnel verification of high-ranking public officials. It is expected that the Office of the Secretary for Public Service Discipline will also be in charge of collecting and reporting information on misconduct regarding specially related persons such as relatives. Here, former Presidential Personnel Secretary Lee Won-mo, who lost in Yongin-gap, Gyeonggi Province, in the April 10 general elections is known to have been appointed, and some are raising controversy over ‘revolving door personnel’.
The Legal Secretary’s Office handles tasks such as reviewing legal issues related to the President’s Office and ministries, and pardons and reinstatements. The newly established Office of the Secretary for Civil Affairs will listen to public sentiment and identify trends in public opinion. President Yoon appointed Dong-ok Lee, spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Administration and Security, as the Secretary for Civil Affairs, and it appears that he appointed a former bureaucrat with recognized work capabilities to allay concerns about control of the assessment agency. It is known that there are no plans to establish a new anti-corruption secretary under the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, who is in charge of assessment work. Nevertheless, as the Office of the Secretary for Public Service Discipline and the Office of the Legal Secretary have been responsible for some of the reporting and work related to the assessment agency, it is expected that the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs will maintain control over the power institutions. A ruling party official predicted, “The Office of the Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, which combines the functions of personnel verification, legal review, and listening to public opinion, will also be able to provide advice on various special prosecutions, such as the Special Prosecutor Act on Corporal Chae and the Special Prosecutor Act on Ms. Kim.”
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
Reporter Jang Seok-seok [email protected]
Reporter Yoo Chae-yeon [email protected]
Reporter Jeon Joo-young [email protected]
2024-05-07 19:57:56