Blue House aides resign one after another a day before the public office resignation deadline... heading to the general election

Gominjeong, Yusonghwa, and Gwonyangyeop Resign from Blue House... Successor Appointment Not Yet Made

On the morning of the 14th, at the Blue House's Yeongbingwan, spokesperson Ko Min-jung (right) and Chief of the Press Office Yoo Song-hwa are having a conversation while preparing for President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] Senior secretaries at the Blue House, including spokesperson Ko Min-jung, are leaving the Blue House one after another a day before the resignation deadline for public officials running in the general election (midnight on the 16th).

According to the Blue House on the 15th, spokesperson Ko, Chunchoogwan Chief Yoo Song-hwa, and Secretary for Balanced Personnel Kwon Hyang-yeop have submitted their resignations to run in the April 15 National Assembly general election. They are scheduled to resign after completing their duties on the same day. Since no successors have been appointed yet, the positions will inevitably remain vacant for some time.

Spokesperson Ko is an original member who joined the last presidential campaign and has worked since the Blue House's inception. She was appointed as a successor following the sudden resignation of former spokesperson Kim Ui-gyeom in April last year and served as spokesperson for about nine months. Although there have been ongoing rumors about her candidacy recently, it is known that she made her decision only recently. Various constituencies have been mentioned as her potential electoral districts, including Goyang in Gyeonggi Province, Dongjak-eul in Seoul, and Bundang in Seongnam, but no final decision has been made yet.

Also an original member of the Blue House, Chief Yoo previously served as the second secretary to First Lady Kim Jung-sook before moving to the Chunchoogwan Chief position in January last year. Yoo, a former member of the Nowon District Council in Seoul, is reportedly aiming to run in the Seoul Nowon-gap constituency in the upcoming general election. This is currently represented by incumbent Democratic Party lawmaker Ko Yong-jin. Journalist-turned-government official Jo Yong-woo, Secretary for National Records, is being considered as Yoo's successor as Chunchoogwan Chief.

Secretary Kwon, a former Democratic Party official, has not yet disclosed a specific electoral district. However, when asked about his candidacy, he stated, "There was a request from the party."

With the resignation deadline for public officials running in local constituencies approaching, this is expected to be the last "train to the general election." The Blue House plans to appoint successors for key positions, including the spokesperson?often called the "President's voice"?once the verification process is completed soon. In particular, since the spokesperson position cannot be left vacant even for a moment, the acting spokesperson Han Jung-woo is expected to continue in the role.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.