"Did You Take the Exam?" 'Senior' Lee Cheol-hee... Ruling Party Aide Responds, "Don't You Understand the Hardships?"

Lee Cheol-hee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, attending the Senior Secretary and Aide Meeting held at the Blue House last April. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Both ruling and opposition party aides have collectively expressed regret toward Lee Cheolhee, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Blue House, who actively defended the controversy surrounding the appointment of Park Seongmin as Youth Secretary.

Lee Dongyun, an aide to Rep. Lee Hyungseok and chairman of the Democratic Party Aides Council, posted on Facebook on the 8th a message titled "To Senior Aide Lee Cheolhee, Senior Secretary for Political Affairs," stating, "I express regret as it seems to have been distorted as if all parliamentary aides are so-called parachute groups that anyone can do."

Earlier, Senior Secretary Lee appeared on the YouTube channel JTBC Insight's "Shin Yeri's Night Talk," commenting on the controversy over Park's appointment, saying, "'What are you guys (aides) anyway? Were you selected through an exam?' I thought. Aides are simply chosen if the lawmaker likes them."

In response, Aide Lee said, "(Aides) go through document screening, interviews, evaluations by each lawmaker's office, and reputation checks inside and outside the National Assembly. Although it is not in the form of a civil service exam, they undergo various repeated evaluations," adding, "Nevertheless, aides with special appointment status always live with the anxiety of not knowing when they might be dismissed."

He continued, "After elections or parliamentary audits, many aides fall away like autumn leaves. Senior Secretary, you must have witnessed these hardships up close," and appealed, "As a senior aide, please be more considerate of the feelings of your junior colleagues."

The People Power Party Aides Council also issued a statement the same day, rebutting, "The era when aides were chosen just because they pleased the lawmaker is a story from decades ago when this Senior Secretary was an aide," and "Nowadays, most aides start as interns and grow through hardships."

They added, "The Youth Secretary is under the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs, so we understand the frustration if the Senior Secretary feels like just taking care of the secretary's chores," but criticized, "However, we used to see this Senior Secretary as a relatively enlightened person when he was a lawmaker, so it is regrettable to see him become a 'latte is horse' (back in my day) type of old-fashioned person."

They concluded, "Remember that many juniors feel their entire lives have been insulted as aides who have tried their best," and raised their voices, "The Senior Secretary must immediately apologize to everyone who holds the profession of aide."

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