Is Former Chief of Staff’s Resignation a Dismissal, not a Voluntary One?

Is it a dismissal or a voluntary resignation?

Attention is being paid to the background of former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Woo-sik’s resignation. This is because President Roh Moo-hyun reportedly hinted in a dinner meeting with ruling Uri Party members held at Cheong Wa Dae on August 30 that he dismissed the former presidential chief of staff.

According to lawmakers who attended the meeting, the president said, “Given former Presidential Chief of Staff Kim’s life history and character, Kim might not accept the idea of a grand coalition government.” This remark is inconsistent with the presidential office’s earlier explanations saying that Kim voluntarily stepped down.

The president’s remark is creating a subtle atmosphere by being linked with Kim’s comments uttered in a press conference marking his resignation on August 19 that he had been at loggerheads with the president on two to three occasions. This is because Kim’s comments hint that the two have failed to reach an agreement on key issues.

In response, Cheong Wa Dae spokesman Kim Man-soo flatly spurned the rumors of dismissal, saying, “The president’s remark does not mean that he dismissed Kim, but that he considered such things internally when he decided to accept Kim’s intention to resign.”

Yeon-Wook Jung jyw11@donga.com