Will President Moon Make Senior Secretary-Level Personnel Changes at the Blue House Before Summer Vacation?

Kim Jo-won, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, Mentioned as Replacement Candidates... Silent Blue House Focuses Attention on Personnel Details and Timing

[Asia Economy reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Son Seon-hee] It has been reported that President Moon Jae-in will carry out a reshuffle of senior Blue House officials at the level of senior secretaries or higher before his summer vacation. It has been decided that Kim Jo-won, Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, and Kang Ki-jung, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, will be replaced, while there is a strong likelihood that Presidential Chief of Staff Noh Young-min and Policy Chief Kim Sang-jo will remain in their posts.

While some view this Blue House reshuffle as a scheduled step following the reorganization of the diplomatic and security line, including the Director of the National Intelligence Service and the Minister of Unification, others see it as a move to manage public sentiment and offset negative factors such as the 'real estate controversy' affecting the ruling party.

According to the ruling party, verification work on the candidates for Blue House personnel is underway, and the announcement is likely to be made as early as this week or at the latest next week. Considering President Moon’s summer vacation schedule, it is expected that the Blue House reshuffle will be carried out by the last week of July.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Senior Secretary Kim was appointed on July 26 last year as the successor to former Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs Cho Kuk. He previously served as the Public Service Discipline Secretary during President Moon’s participation government. Senior Secretary Kim devoted efforts to realizing national agenda items that President Moon paid special attention to, such as prosecutorial reform, but recently became embroiled in controversy linked to real estate issues.

Owning apartments in Gangnam-gu and Songpa-gu, he was at the center of the Blue House’s multi-homeowner controversy. Although several candidates are being considered as his successor, it is expected that someone who will carry out President Moon’s message on prosecutorial reform will be appointed.

Regarding Senior Secretary Kang, the general consensus is that replacement is a scheduled step, with timing being the only issue. This is because he is expected to run for mayor of Gwangju Metropolitan City in the 8th nationwide local elections scheduled for June 2022.

Senior Secretary Kang also ran for Gwangju mayor in the 7th local elections in 2018. He has attracted attention for his political future by showing particular interest in President Moon’s events in the Honam region. Former Democratic Party lawmaker Choi Jae-sung and former Blue House spokesperson Park Soo-hyun are mentioned as possible successors to Senior Secretary Kang.

Archive photo / Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

The National Security Office under Director Suh Hoon is also likely to be reshuffled. Kim Yoo-geun, the first deputy director of the National Security Office and a military veteran, is expected to be replaced, while Kim Hyun-jong, the second deputy director, is likely to remain. Former Deputy Minister of National Defense Suh Joo-seok is being mentioned as a successor to Deputy Director Kim Yoo-geun.

Inside the Blue House, reactions to personnel speculation have been cautious. A Blue House official said, "I have not heard any talk about replacing Senior Secretary Kim (Jo-won)." Another Blue House official explained, "We have seen media reports about the Blue House personnel, but the internal atmosphere is no different from usual." Blue House personnel matters are areas where content and direction can change depending on the president’s intentions.

However, since verification procedures are necessary before the Blue House announces personnel changes, the reshuffle movement inevitably becomes exposed to the ruling party. This is why there is speculation that the Blue House personnel reshuffle is imminent.

President Moon is expected to deliberate until the last moment on the targets and timing of the Blue House personnel reshuffle. It is said that he will be careful to ensure that the reshuffle does not appear as a punitive personnel action for personnel renewal. However, the Blue House reshuffle is inevitably subject to political interpretation as it coincides with the ruling party’s crisis situations such as the real estate controversy.

If Senior Secretary Kim is replaced, the issue of his Gangnam apartment cannot be avoided. Furthermore, a reshuffle of senior Blue House officials in the fourth year of the presidential term is an important political act in itself. It is a result that shows with whom President Moon will conclude the second half of his term.

Meanwhile, amid growing interest in a cabinet reshuffle, Hong Nam-ki, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, has gained strong support for remaining in office as President Moon’s deep trust in him has been confirmed. On the 21st, President Moon received a confidential report from Deputy Prime Minister Hong regarding the new year’s budget proposal.

Blue House spokesperson Kang Min-seok said, "President Moon expressed agreement with the four major budget priorities and encouraged Deputy Prime Minister Hong to vigorously push them forward, giving him strong support."

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