Presidential Chief of Staff Will Resign At End of August

Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Woo-sik recently expressed his intention to resign to President Roh Moo-hyun and the president will accept it, according to Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Man-su on August 17.

“Kim intended his resignation to create expanded opportunities for the president to manage affairs of state more comprehensively in preparation for the latter half of the president’s five-year tenure. The president will likely accept Kim’s resignation letter at the end of this month,” said the spokesman.

Observers say that Kim’s resignation may likely lead to the replacement of some chief secretaries, presidential aides, and ministers, and that the president may be considering a new lineup of his close aides in preparation for the latter half of his tenure.

The most viable candidate for Kim’s successor is Kim Byung-joon, a senior secretary for policy planning, and some view that there is a chance for a politician, such as former lawmaker Lee Sang-su, to be appointed to this high-profile post, too.

There has been a growing voice inside the ruling party that in order to secure Roh’s leadership for the remaining tenure, a politically influential figure is the most appropriate candidate, which is putting much attention to whether the president will pick a politician as his chief of staff.

Kim Woo-sik is known to be in line for a deputy prime minister level post at the next cabinet reshuffling.

Jung-Hun Kim jnghn@donga.com