President Moon Accepts Resignation of Kim Yeon-cheol, Minister of Unification (Comprehensive)

Cheong "Approval of resignation dismissal proposal at 10:40 AM on the 19th"... Exchanged opinions during dinner with President Moon and Minister Kim on the 18th

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Son Seon-hee] President Moon Jae-in accepted the resignation of Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-cheol on the morning of the 19th.

Kang Min-seok, Blue House spokesperson, said in a Chuncheon briefing on the same day, "President Moon approved the dismissal of Minister of Unification Kim Yeon-cheol following his resignation around 10:40 a.m. today." On the 18th, President Moon had dinner with Minister Kim and listened to his position regarding the resignation.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

A senior Blue House official commented on the dinner conversation between President Moon and Minister Kim, saying, "He said he would take responsibility for the deterioration of inter-Korean relations and step down, so I think that part should be taken into account."

Regarding the successor to Minister Kim, the official refrained from commenting, stating, "I will not speak about the personnel appointment." This implies it is difficult to disclose whether President Moon’s acceptance of the resignation will lead to a one-point personnel change in the Ministry of Unification or a full-scale replacement of the Blue House and government diplomatic and security line.

Earlier, on the 17th, Minister Kim visited the Ministry of Unification press room and stated, "I have decided to take full responsibility for the deterioration of inter-Korean relations and resign," adding, "In the current situation, I thought it was my duty to create an opportunity to refresh the atmosphere."

After Minister Kim expressed his resignation, President Moon met with him directly to hear his views and accepted them. Minister Kim is scheduled to hold a farewell ceremony at 4 p.m. on the 19th in the large auditorium on the second floor of the Ministry of Unification annex.

Meanwhile, a senior Blue House official said regarding the issue of former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s memoir, "We only know about Bolton’s memoir through media reports. There is nothing official to say."

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