New Blue House Communication Chief Park Su-hyun: "I Will Bow My Head to Listen to the Heart of the People" (Comprehensive Report 2)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] On the 28th, President Moon Jae-in appointed former lawmaker Park Su-hyun as the new Senior Secretary for Public Communication at the Blue House and carried out a reshuffle replacing the Senior Secretary for Civil Society, the Economic Secretary, and secretaries. Park, who also served as the first Blue House spokesperson under the Moon administration, emphasized the importance of communication, saying, "I will bow my waist and listen closely to the heart of the people."

Born in Gongju, Chungnam, Park was elected in the 19th general election and has served as the Democratic Party's floor spokesperson, spokesperson, chief secretary to the party leader, and chief secretary to the Speaker of the National Assembly.

After resigning as spokesperson in 2018, he also ran as a preliminary candidate for governor of Chungnam Province.

Yoo Young-min, Chief of Staff to the President, explained the reason for his appointment, saying, "He has earned great trust from the media due to his exceptional affinity and outstanding communication skills," and added, "Based on his balanced political sense and communication ability, we expect him to convey the Moon administration's governance clearly and accurately."

Park expressed his feelings, saying, "I greet you again after 3 years and 4 months with the same fearful and trembling heart I had when I first stood here as the spokesperson at the launch of the Moon administration in 2017."

He emphasized, "Since the people's standards are in their hearts, to meet the people's standards, the Blue House, the government, and the ruling party must bow their waists and respectfully listen to the heart of the people. I will treat journalists who ask questions on behalf of the people with a special attitude and respond sincerely to your questions as answers to the people."

Park said, "If publicity is one-way advertising, communication is two-way empathy," and added, "I will strive not to forget the words of former President Kim Dae-jung, 'The people are not always wise, but they were the wisest in the end.'"

He continued, "I will not forget the column of a certain poet who said, 'We must be able to hear the distant sound of the northern drum outside the city gates.'"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Former Senior Secretary for Communication Jeong Man-ho, who is leaving the Blue House, said, "I expressed my intention to resign after the by-elections, but postponed it because major events like the summit remained," and added, "I believe the new Senior Secretary Park will communicate a hundred times better than I did."

Also, President Moon appointed Bang Jeong-gyun, Vice President for Social Cooperation at Sangji University, as the new Senior Secretary for Civil Society, and Nam Young-sook, former Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Norway, as the Economic Secretary to the Presidential Secretariat.

Born in 1967, Bang graduated from Kyungshin High School in Seoul, earned a bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree in Korean Medicine from Sangji University, and currently serves as Vice President for Social Cooperation at Sangji University and an executive member of the People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy.

Nam, born in 1961, graduated from Myeongji Girls' High School in Seoul and Korea University with a degree in economics, earned a master's degree in economics and a doctoral degree in international development from Stanford University in the U.S., and has served as an economist at the OECD and ILO, a free trade agreement negotiator at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and is currently serving as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Norway.

Bang said, "As Senior Secretary for Civil Society, I will rush to the field where many unresolved issues remain, such as the rapid decline in school-age population and problems faced by regional universities," and added, "I will faithfully serve as a bridge by listening to voices from the field, conveying them to the government, and explaining and helping the government’s policies be understood on site." Nam is reported to still be in Norway.

On the same day, the Blue House also announced personnel changes for five secretaries. Lee Shin-nam, former Secretary for Institutional Reform, was appointed Secretary for Autonomy Development; Yoon Nan-sil, head of the Social Innovation Promotion Team at Gyeongnam Provincial Office, was appointed Secretary for Institutional Reform; and Seo Young-hoon, senior administrative officer at the Office of Job Planning and Coordination, was appointed Secretary for Job Planning and Coordination.

Also, Lee Kyung-yoon, head of the Democratic Peace Exchange Center at the Asia Culture Institute, was appointed Secretary for Culture, filling the vacancy left by former Secretary Jeon Hyo-kwan, who resigned over 'preferential treatment of work.' The Blue House explained the appointment background, saying, "The new Secretary Lee served as policy advisor to the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism and is an expert with rich experience and expertise in culture, arts, and sports."

Jung Chun-saeng, public relations director of the Democratic Party of Korea, was appointed Secretary for Women and Family. The Blue House stated, "She has held key positions within the party, including the first female organizational director and head of the floor administrative planning office, and as the party’s women's director and women and family specialist, she has promoted various policies for women and families."

There was speculation that a personnel appointment for the Secretary for Education, vacant due to the appointment of Park Kyung-mi as Blue House spokesperson, would be made, but no related personnel changes were announced that day.

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