As the new Chief of Staff to the President Jeong Jin-seok began his work in earnest on the 24th, he requested to prevent confusion in messages and began to establish internal discipline.
At the first meeting held with senior secretaries this morning, Director Chung said, “It is not desirable for inaccurate stories to go out sporadically and indiscriminately,” according to an official from the President’s Office.
Director Chung also said, “The President’s Office is a working organization, not a speaking organization,” and “Politics in the President’s Office are conducted by the President, not the secretary.”
In addition, he is said to have asked senior officials to say, “The president’s decision is final,” and that “there should be no gaps in the throne.”
This comment is interpreted as being in line with the recent confusion surrounding the appointment of the Prime Minister and Chief of Staff due to continued reports of the so-called ‘appointment theory of Park Young-sun and Yang Jeong-cheol’ by officials of the President’s Office.
Although the Presidential Spokesperson’s Office officially drew a line saying, “There was no review,” reports continued to quote a Presidential Office official saying, “It is true that the two people were most likely reviewed.”
In response to this, some in the political world have pointed out that the ‘secret line’ rather than the official line within the President’s Office is exerting strong influence.
In particular, there was loud opposition even among the ruling party’s supporters upon the news that key opposition figures could be appointed.
Chief Chung’s remarks on this day are interpreted as an intention to strengthen the disorganized discipline in Yongsan after the crushing defeat in the general election on the 10th and to revive the driving force in running state affairs, as the Chief of Staff is new.
Director Jeong reiterated his inauguration date at the meeting.
Director Jeong is said to have said, “I lived with the determination to do my job even if I quit tomorrow,” and “I will take the lead in assisting the President well and being loyal to the country.”
At the greeting ceremony for the retirement and inauguration of the new director held the previous day, Director Jeong said, “If we stay away from private matters and work with a public mind, we can overcome the current difficulties.”
Director Jeong is also said to have ordered employees to “report to the President in one piece of paper.”
In line with President Yoon’s recent instructions to his staff to “report concisely,” this can be interpreted as a request to fill the report with only key content so that it can be easily understood.
It is reported that Director Jeong, who is scheduled to receive an official letter of appointment from President Yoon this afternoon, plans to personally visit the Chief Secretary’s office and receive a business report.
Internal organizational reorganization is also one of the tasks facing Director Jeong.
The President’s Office is considering ways to revive the Office of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, excluding the evaluation function, in order to strengthen the function of listening to public opinion. A method of establishing a new Senior Legal Office, which has jurisdiction over the Office of the Legal Secretary and the Office of the Secretary for Public Service Discipline, is also being discussed.
Another presidential office official said, “The new chief of staff may have another plan in mind.”
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Tags: Jeong Jinseok Secretaries Presidents Office engage politics .. Secret line controversy warning
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