In the COVID-19 Emergency... Former District Representative Noh Young-min Runs to His Constituency

Noh Young-min, Chief of Staff to the President / Yoon Dong-joo, Reporter doso7@

[Asia Economy Reporter Son Sun-hee] On the first day that the Blue House switched to a '24-hour emergency situation room system' to strengthen its response to the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), Chief Presidential Secretary Noh Young-min left the Blue House and visited Cheongju, his former electoral district, sparking rumors.

On the afternoon of the 4th, Chief Secretary Noh attended the 68th graduation and commissioning ceremony of the Air Force Academy (AFA) held in Cheongju, Chungbuk Province, accompanying President Moon Jae-in. Since his inauguration, President Moon has consecutively visited the Army Academy (2018), the Naval Academy (2019), and this year, the Air Force Academy. However, this is the first time that the Chief Presidential Secretary has accompanied the president along with National Security Office Director Chung Eui-yong, who oversees diplomacy and security. Cheongju, Chungbuk, where the Air Force Academy is located, is near the electoral district where Chief Secretary Noh served three consecutive terms.

When the president is absent due to overseas trips or other external schedules, it is an unwritten rule that the so-called 'second-in-command,' the Chief Presidential Secretary, stays at the Blue House. Moreover, amid the serious COVID-19 situation and President Moon's directive to "strengthen the response posture," the Blue House switched to a '24-hour emergency situation room system' starting that day. Deputy Spokesperson Yoon Jae-kwan of the Blue House announced, "Under the Chief Secretary's command, all secretariat offices will establish an emergency response system, and besides emergency meetings, the Chief Secretary will regularly or ad hoc preside over emergency response task force (TF) meetings." Despite announcing a thorough response including late-night meetings, the person ultimately responsible, the Chief Secretary, was absent that day.

Chief Secretary Noh also accompanied President Moon on February 9 when the president visited Jincheon, Chungbuk, to inspect temporary living facilities for Korean nationals returning from Wuhan, China, amid the COVID-19 outbreak. However, he did not accompany the president when he visited Daegu and Gyeongbuk, the areas most severely affected, earlier this month. Among the eight nationwide economic tours (Ulsan, Daejeon, Busan, Daegu, Gangwon, Chungbuk, Jeonnam, Chungnam) attended by President Moon since Noh's appointment as Chief Secretary, he only accompanied the Chungbuk schedule.

The Blue House explained that since the Chief Secretary is a direct aide assisting the president on the front lines, accompanying the president's schedule does not violate protocol. Whether to accompany the president is at the Chief Secretary's discretion. However, as his accompanying schedule has been noticeably biased toward his political hometown Chungbuk, criticism has inevitably arisen accusing him of 'self-politics.'

Political interpretations are also emerging regarding Chief Secretary Noh's 'Chungbuk-focused actions.' In Seowon District, Cheongju, Chungbuk, Lee Jang-seop, a former aide and close confidant of Noh during his time as a member of the National Assembly, has registered as a preliminary candidate and is campaigning. It is reported that a former Blue House administrator who worked under Chief Secretary Noh has joined the campaign to assist the election. Furthermore, there are speculations that Chief Secretary Noh himself is aiming to run for Chungbuk governor in the next local elections, raising further concerns about the inappropriateness of his conduct.

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