[President Yoon's Inauguration] The Four Key Members Leading the 'Working Government' from Yongsan Office

Abolishing Chief Positions for Civil Affairs, Personnel, and Jobs... Streamlining the Organizational Structure

Among the notable figures in President Yoon Suk-yeol's Yongsan office era are two chiefs, Chief of Staff Kim Dae-gi and National Security Office Director Kim Sung-han, along with economic advisor Choi Sang-mok, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, and political advisor Jang Sung-min, Director of Policy Coordination and Planning. They bear the heavy responsibility of building the "working government" emphasized by the Yoon administration.

Kim Dae-gi, the President's Chief of Staff who will closely assist the president and understand his intentions, is a career bureaucrat who passed the 22nd Administrative Examination. He has served as Director of the Budget Office at the Ministry of Planning and Budget, Commissioner of Statistics Korea, and economic chief and policy chief under the Lee Myung-bak administration. His appointment as Chief of Staff, a seasoned bureaucrat with extensive government experience, is interpreted as a move to navigate economic crises such as low growth and high inflation and to create synergy as an economic one-team.

Kim Sung-han, Director of the National Security Office, is a longtime friend of President Yoon, having attended Seoul Daekwang Elementary School together, with a 50-year friendship. Their close relationship is exemplified by President Yoon using Kim's mobile phone during his first call with U.S. President Joe Biden in March. Under the Lee Myung-bak administration, Kim served as a presidential foreign and security advisor and as Second Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Under Kim's leadership, a new position of Economic Security Secretary was established within the National Security Office, reflecting President Yoon's belief that "the economy is security."

Choi Sang-mok, Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, is a 29th Administrative Examination pass and a former bureaucrat who served as Economic and Financial Secretary at the Blue House and First Vice Minister of Strategy and Finance during the Park Geun-hye administration. Choi is highly regarded for his expertise, having handled key areas such as macroeconomics and finance, and was once considered for the position of Financial Services Commission Chairman.

The appointment of Jang Sung-min as Director of Policy Coordination and Planning is also notable. Although President-elect Yoon initially planned to place policy functions under a public-private joint committee, he created the position of Director of Policy Coordination and Planning and appointed Jang, a political special advisor. This role is known to consolidate medium- and long-term policy tasks and oversee national grand strategies. Additionally, it manages message coordination and control, a core task typically reserved for close aides. Jang, affiliated with the Donggyodong faction and former Director of the National Situation Room at the Kim Dae-jung Blue House, was known as the "bitter advisor" for his candid advice during his time as a special political advisor to the president-elect.

The presidential office under the Yoon administration was cautious in finalizing appointments until the last moment. By abolishing the positions of Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs, Senior Secretary for Personnel, and Senior Secretary for Jobs, the organizational structure was simplified with the aim of appointing top talent. A presidential office official stated, "President Yoon's appointment policy is to reduce the number of personnel but employ capable talents."

Since his candidacy, President Yoon has advocated a working style of discussing state affairs with aides over lunch at the presidential office. He believes this will naturally dismantle the imperial presidency system.

The abolished Senior Secretary for Personnel duties have been taken over by the Personnel Planning Officer, and the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs role has been replaced by the Legal Secretary. The Senior Secretary for Jobs' responsibilities have been consolidated into the Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs. The verification tasks previously handled by the Senior Secretary for Civil Affairs are now conducted through diversified channels such as the police and Ministry of Justice, while the Public Service Discipline Secretary manages discipline issues within the Blue House. The newly established Legal Secretary primarily provides legal advice to the president.

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