Choi: “Public officials must be dedicated to serving the people”
Cooperation with the President’s Office and others was emphasized during the opening ceremony.
Lee Chang-yong “Choi appointed judge for economic considerations”
“The Cabinet members should think about it and talk about it.”
“Public officials are people who serve the people. “I ask you to dedicate yourself with a sense of duty as the center of national affairs.”
Acting President Choi Sang-mok, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategy and Finance, said this to ministers and vice ministers gathered at the ‘2025 Government New Year Ceremony’ held at the Seoul Government Complex on the 2nd. On this day, Acting President Choi mentioned ‘people’ and ‘public officials’ 13 and 10 times, respectively, and ‘stability’ 5 times. Inside the government, there was an interpretation that “Acting Acting President Choi was sending a message to the Presidential Staff and some State Council members who opposed the appointment of judges to the Constitutional Court, asking them to ‘cooperate in stabilizing state affairs.’”
Bank of Korea Governor Lee Chang-yong said on this day, “I actively support Acting President Choi. He said, “It is important to help Acting Choi for the sake of Korea,” and actively supported the Acting Choi system. Presidential staff members who had expressed their resignation in opposition to Acting President Choi’s appointment as a Constitutional Court judge also decided to remain in office rather than resign. A senior government official said, “The conflict surrounding the appointment of judges is in the process of being resolved.”
● Choi: “Cooperation between the ruling and opposition parties is essential for stabilizing national affairs.”
Acting President Choi said at the government’s opening ceremony that day, “To stabilize national affairs and resolve pending issues, unity and cooperation among the leadership, including the ruling and opposition party political circles, is urgent.” He added, “The government will also listen to various opinions and come up with realistic solutions.” On the 20th, Acting President Choi mentioned the fact that Donald Trump’s second administration would be launched in the United States and said, “We will quickly respond to pending issues in various fields such as diplomacy, security, and trade, and communicate closely with major countries such as the United States.”
Acting Choi ordered the economic authorities to “manage external creditworthiness as a top priority by communicating closely with overseas credit rating agencies and investors, and strengthen collaboration between ministries and agencies to prevent volatility in the financial and foreign exchange markets from expanding.” The fact that Acting President Choi emphasized the dedication of public officials at the government opening ceremony appears to be an attempt to strengthen the discipline of the public service community, which is in turmoil in the aftermath of the impeachment of the President and Prime Minister.
At the government opening ceremony, State Council members, including Minister of Employment and Labor Kim Moon-soo and Minister of Science, Technology and Information and Communication Yoo Sang-im, who protested against Acting Choi Choi’s appointment as a judge of the Constitutional Court at the Cabinet meeting on December 31 last year, also attended the government meeting without a ‘boycott’. It is reported that Acting President Choi went to the joint memorial service at Muan International Airport in Jeollanam-do with nine members of the State Council, including Minister Kim, after the opening ceremony that day, and exchanged opinions on ways to resolve the situation.
Governor Lee also visited the press room that day and expressed his support for Acting President Choi, saying, “Thanks to Acting President Choi’s appointment of a candidate for the Constitutional Court, the possibility of ‘impeachment of the commander in chief’ has been reduced.” It is unusual for the governor of the Bank of Korea to express his opinion on an issue where there is a lot of controversy in the political world. He said, “As a result of Acting President Choi’s difficult decision, it is now said to the outside world, ‘Our economic management is separated from the political process. “We are trying to send the message that the Korean economy is strong, but what are you going to do if the State Council members responsible for that criticize Acting President Choi?” Governor Lee said to the staff of the President’s Office who were opposing the appointment of a Constitutional Court judge, “I wish you would think about it and talk about it,” and added, “It’s frustrating.”
● Presidential staff, all remaining
Presidential Office staff, including Chief of Staff Chung Jin-seok, also decided not to resign but to carry out their duties at the Presidential Office. It appears that they took into account the fact that if even the President’s staff were suspended from their duties due to the impeachment bill being passed and the Prime Minister following the President, the national administration could fall into extreme chaos. A ruling party official said, “It is clear that if the President’s Office staff resigns, the function of the President’s Office will be paralyzed. “It can only give an excuse to the opposition party,” he said.
It is known that Chief of Staff Chung first explained in detail the process by which his resignation was rejected at a meeting of chief secretaries on this day. Chief of Staff Jeong is said to have said to senior officials, “Acting Acting Director Choi called me about three times again and persuaded me to reject my resignation, saying, ‘The decision in the morning was wrong and I am sorry.’” It is known that most of the high-ranking staff members also tried to dissuade Chief of Staff Chung from resigning, saying, “This decision must be made carefully.”
Reporter Ko Do-ye [email protected]
Reporter Shin Na-ri [email protected]
Reporter Lee Dong-hoon [email protected]
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