Warning of ‘secret line controversy’ at first senior meeting
Chief of Staff to the President Jeong Jin-seok (pictured) said at the first chief secretarial meeting on the 24th, “It is not desirable for inaccurate stories to be sporadically spread in the name of the President’s Office or ‘Presidential Office officials.’” The intention is to minimize message confusion that arose when some remarks were exposed in areas that require a high level of political judgment, such as appointments and policies. It also appears that there was an intention to establish internal discipline by sending a warning message about the decision-making process of the President’s Office, which has even sparked controversy over ‘secret election’.
Director Jeong, a former five-term lawmaker, said this at a meeting of chief secretaries presided over at the Yongsan Presidential Office this morning, saying, “The President’s Office is a working organization, not a speaking organization.” In particular, he said, “Politics in the President’s Office are done by the President, not the Secretary,” and “The President’s decision is final.” “There should not be a single gap in the throne,” he ordered.
Chief Chung’s remarks are interpreted as targeting the controversy over secret elections that arose with reports that President Yoon Seok-yeol was considering appointing former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun and former Director of the Korea Institute for Democracy Yang Jeong-cheol, both former members of the Moon Jae-in administration, as prime minister candidates and chief of staff, respectively. At the time, the President’s Office officially denied it, saying, “There was no review,” but the controversy expanded as reports emerged through Presidential Office officials, including President Yoon’s associates who were not directly related to the selection process, saying, “It is true that it was reviewed.” As the opposition party immediately raised the level of its offensive by raising suspicions about ‘secret aides’, one interpretation was that “Director Chung indirectly pointed this out and emphasized the need for strict message management.” A ruling party official said, “Chief of Staff Chung, who has served as a five-term lawmaker, floor leader of the party, and chairman of the emergency response committee, will naturally try to have a tighter grip than chiefs of staff who were former bureaucrats.” He added, “Chief of Staff Chung will closely monitor the decision-making process and flow within the President’s Office.” “We will look into it,” he said.
Jeong Jin-seok “Inaccurate stories should not be spread sporadically.”
Chief of Staff, Establishing Discipline
Confusion over Park Young-sun and Yang Jeong-cheol’s appointment rumor
After blocking the exercise of influence with a strong mind,
At the first chief secretary meeting on the 24th, Chief of Staff Jeong Jin-seok emphasized that “it is not desirable for inaccurate stories to go out sporadically and indiscriminately,” while establishing internal discipline and also emphasizing that “the staff must remain faithful to their role as staff.” It was emphasized. The situation in which the positions of those in the name of ‘President’s Office officials’ were confused regarding the report on the review of the appointment of former Minister of SMEs and Startups Park Young-sun and former Director of the Korea Institute for Democracy Yang Jeong-cheol served as the background for today’s warning.
An official from the ruling party said, “After the controversy over personnel selection arose, the opposition party immediately raised suspicions of ‘secret election controversy’ and stepped up its offensive against the Presidential Office.” He added, “The message from the beginning of the 3rd Presidential Office system was to have a single, unified team.” “He said. In addition, “It also has the nature of blocking attempts by staff members with little relevance to the relevant work, such as personnel selection, to exert influence on the decision-making process of the official line by implicitly spreading ‘President Yoon Seok-yeol’s intentions.” People from the ruling party evaluated it.
Accordingly, there is speculation that Director Chung, who emphasized “the level of the people of the Republic” on the day of the personnel announcement, may speak directly to President Yoon if he discovers a problem within the President’s Office. “There is an invisible internal competition within the President’s Office between former prosecutors, staff members from government ministries, and close groups,” said ruling party figures. An official from the ruling party said, “If Director Jeong sees a problem with the existing internal decision-making structure and attempts to change it, tension and conflict may arise, but I believe that Director Chung, who has extensive experience in political affairs, will respond flexibly to this.” 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.”
Director Jeong is also said to have ordered, “The president’s report should be done on one piece of paper.” In line with President Yoon’s recent instructions to his staff to “please report concisely,” the purpose is to fill the report with only key content to make it easy to understand.
Director Jeong received a letter of appointment from President Yoon along with the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Hong Cheol-ho, who was also appointed on the 22nd. It is known that Director Chung is continuing to deliberate on organizational reorganization and personnel reorganization of the Presidential Office. It is reported that as the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs has changed, replacement of subordinate secretaries is also being considered.
Reporter Lee Sang-heon [email protected]
Reporter Jeon Joo-young [email protected]
