Yoon introduces civil affairs secretary amid controversy and criticism

President Yoon Suk Yeol has officially announced the creation of the position of Senior Secretary to the President for Civil Affairs, appointing former Vice Minister of the Justice Ministry, Kim Joo-hyun, as its inaugural secretary. This move has drawn criticism from opposition parties, who have denounced the revival of the civil affairs secretary position at a time when the Corporal Chae Special Prosecution Act has passed the National Assembly, and investigations into allegations that the First Lady, Kim Keon Hee, received a Dior handbag as a bribe are set to commence. The opposition accuses the presidential office of "laying the groundwork for dominating the inspection agency and addressing legal risks." Lee Dong-wook, the spokesman of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, has been appointed as the inaugural Secretary for Civil Affairs, while Lee Won-mo, a former secretary for personal affairs, has assumed the role of Secretary for Civil Service Discipline, previously held by Lee Si-won who recently resigned.

President Yoon personally announced Kim's appointment as Senior Secretary and explained to reporters, "I have previously maintained my stance against establishing a civil affairs secretary office, but I now recognize that my administration did not sufficiently listen to the voice of the people. After carefully considering the shortcomings in my administration's civil affairs efforts, I have decided to reinstate the position." When asked if the creation of the civil affairs secretary position was intended to address legal risks related to himself, President Yoon responded that he believes legal risks related to him should be handled directly by him, not the civil affairs secretary. President Yoon's reinstatement of the civil affairs secretary, two weeks before the second anniversary of his inauguration, is seen as an effort to bolster his administration's weakened standing following the significant losses in the April 10 general elections. The civil affairs secretary's office will oversee civil service discipline, legal matters, and civil affairs. A ruling party member suggested that the new civil affairs secretary's office could potentially play a role in inspecting external entities such as state-owned organizations.

The Democratic Party of Korea has criticized the Civil Affairs Secretary's Office for historically being used to control inspection agencies like the prosecutors' office and the police and to strengthen the centralization of the presidential system. They argue that this time will be no different. The Rebuilding Korea Party has also expressed skepticism, stating that no citizen will believe the presidential office's pledge to listen to the voices of the people when the representative appointed has a background as a prosecutor.


이상헌 dapaper@donga.com