Presidential office reshuffle made a month after general elections

Presidential office reshuffle made a month after general elections. May. 16, 2016 07:34. by 장택동 기자will71@donga.com. President Park Geun-hye appointed Lee Won-jong, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Regional Development, as her new Chief Presidential Secretary. She also named Ahn Jong-beom, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs, as the new chief secretary for policy coordination and lawmaker Kang Seok-hoon of the ruling Saenuri Party as her new senior presidential secretary for economic affairs.

It seems that the president has partially accepted the hearts and minds of people who demanded “organizational reshuffle” including secretarial staff of Cheong Wa Dae after the ruling party was completely defeated in the April 13 general elections. It is known that Presidential Chief of Staff Lee Byeong-gi recently submitted his resignation to improve the atmosphere of the presidential office and President Park accepted his decision after much consideration. Senior presidential secretary for civil affairs Woo Byeong-woo, who is at the controversy over concentrated authority, with senior presidential secretary for political affairs Hyun Gi-hwan, known to have directly contributed to the defeat of the elections, will remain in his post.

“The new presidential chief of staff has a lot of experience and insights in general administration. He is sociable and trustworthy,” senior presidential secretary for public relations Kim Seong-woo said. “He is the right person to assist President Park and will contribute to better communication between the president and the nation, and national development.” Born in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province, Lee Won-jong is a three-time governor in his hometown and served as mayor of Seoul and president of Seowon University.

It appears that the President Park appointed economists Ahn and Kang who served as lawmakers in the ruling Saenuri Party to pursue the major policies such as labor reform and economic revitalization.

“As a man of great insight in economic policy and national affairs of the incumbent government, Ahn is expected to bring about increased efficiency in policy operation for the second half of the year,” Kim said. “With the broad understanding on economic policies of the government, the newly appointed secretary for economic affairs will actively respond to a number of pending issues.”