Aftermath of 'Special Inspector' Controversy... Presidential Office 'Apologizes' Following Appearance of Yoon Core Faction Member

Jang Je-won and Kwon Seong-dong Target the Presidential Office... Presidential Office: "If Both Parties Recommend Special Inspector Candidates, They Will Be Appointed"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Baek Kyunghwan] Although the Presidential Office has stated that it does not intend to abolish the Special Inspector General system, which oversees the president’s relatives and close aides, for the time being, controversy continues. Confusion arose over the Presidential Office’s stance on operating the Special Inspector General system, and the situation escalated as 'Yunhaekgwan (Yoon Seok-yeol President’s key associates)' directly intervened to manage the issue.

On the 31st, a Presidential Office official met with reporters at the Yongsan Presidential Office building and said, "If the ruling and opposition parties recommend three candidates for the Special Inspector General, the president has no choice but to appoint them according to the law." This means that the president is required to make the appointment as it is not a discretionary provision.

In a briefing the previous day, the Presidential Office stated, "We are planning a system that can root out power-type corruption, including the Special Inspector General system." When asked, "Does this mean you intend to abolish the Special Inspector General system because circumstances have changed?" they replied, "We will reconsider including that." This is the reason why the controversy over abolishing the Special Inspector General system began, both within the Presidential Office and the political circles.

In response, the Presidential Office apologized for miscommunicating its position, clarifying that it is not in a situation where it has decided to abolish the Special Inspector General system and is discussing it. This differed from previous statements that had given weight to abolishing the system, citing changes such as the completion of the prosecution reform, the abolition of the Office of Civil Affairs, and the dismantling of the Presidential Office’s internal control tower, which are significantly different from the previous administration.

The problem began when Yunhaekgwan appeared during this process. Jang Je-won, a member of the National Assembly and former chief of staff to President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol, sharply criticized the Presidential Office. Jang said, "President Yoon is not someone who would nullify the law when the National Assembly has not amended or abolished it," refuting related reports, and added, "If these are not malicious reports but statements actually made by Presidential Office officials, then the Presidential Office must seriously reflect on this."

He also said, "The president’s aides must accurately understand the president’s intentions and wishes. They must keep their antennas up 24 hours a day for the president," and warned, "If they become careless even for a moment, a situation may arise where the president’s intentions are not properly understood, ultimately causing great harm to the president. The Presidential Office is a place where even a single mistake is not tolerated." As the controversy erupted just before the local elections, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, also appeared, drawing a line by saying that the candidate recommendation process will proceed after the local elections through bipartisan agreement.

However, the influence of Yunhaekgwan on the Presidential Office appeared significant, raising the possibility of sparking conflict between the ruling party and the government. This was evident as the positions of Yunhaekgwan were heavily reflected not only in the resignation of Yoon Jong-won, the nominee for the head of the Office for Government Policy Coordination, but also in the controversy over abolishing the Special Inspector General system. The Democratic Party criticized, saying, "It looks like the Presidential Office’s announcement was overturned by Yunhaekgwan, who is nothing more than an unofficial power broker." The Justice Party also pointed out, "The Presidential Office’s reversal regarding the Special Inspector General is negligence and a national governance disaster," adding, "The responsibility for this lies entirely with the president."

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