[Inside Chodong] Why Is the Presidential Office Reform Being Called "Half-Hearted"?

Impact of Presidential Office Overhaul and Inspection Spreads
Controversy Likely to Grow If Prosecutorial Aides Are Excluded

"Now there is an atmosphere of coming to work early. Everyone arrives 20 to 30 minutes early and eats lunch quickly before returning to work."

The ripple effects of the personnel overhaul and inspection at the Presidential Office, initiated with the determination to excise the infected parts, are spreading. It is forecasted that 30 to 40 personnel changes will be finalized by Chuseok, and there are talks that the Presidential Office will be downsized and reorganized during this opportunity. The 'Yunhaekgwan' (key aides of President Yoon Seok-yeol) staff are mainly packing up, and the scope of the overhaul has expanded from 'Eogong' (accidental public officials) to 'Neulgong' (career public officials).

Top-level public officials dispatched from ministries are equally anxious. An official from a certain ministry who has been working at the Yongsan Presidential Office since its launch said, "Avoiding scandals and returning safely is considered a success." There are also many voices interpreting this atmosphere positively. An official who worked at the Blue House in a previous administration and has secured a position again in the current Presidential Office revealed, "Unlike the usual early phase of a government, there is a strong call for reform, and an atmosphere is forming where people focus solely on work rather than building networks or careers to stand out."

The problem is that the "just work" atmosphere is mixed with noise. Contrary to President Yoon's statement that "the Presidential Office should serve the people well and maintain the highest level of dedication and work capability as the most important institution," principles and directions are ambiguous. Above all, problems have surfaced in personnel, government publicity, policy coordination, and even party-government relations, but there is a clear no-go zone. In the case of the Political Affairs Secretary's Office and the Civil Society Secretary's Office, which revealed multiple issues during the policy implementation process after the new government’s launch, the staff faced harsh scrutiny, whereas the personnel, general affairs, and legal departments responsible for the current personnel issues remain untouched.

This does not mean that the overhaul must be conducted thoroughly across the entire Presidential Office. The analysis that the trigger for this reform was the leak of sensitive matters from within the Presidential Office through Yunhaekgwan officials is in the same context. However, the reform breeze that bypassed those involved in various personnel issues and controversies such as the private accompaniment allegations of First Lady Kim Geon-hee, which erupted right after the Yongsan Presidential Office move-in, is likely to lower the morale of the Presidential Office staff. In fact, many of them are known to be former prosecutors with long-standing ties to President Yoon. If those with significant responsibilities are not targeted for reform, the Presidential Office’s reform will be only half-hearted. If the expectation within the ruling party and the Presidential Office that President Yoon will not dismiss his prosecutorial close aides becomes reality, the "just work" atmosphere will vanish instantly.

The opposition has already seized an opportunity for counterattack. Criticism such as "this is not just cutting off the tail but plucking out the tail hairs" and "it is outrageous that these prosecutorial aides are leading the Presidential Office’s inspection and personnel overhaul" has reached a level of acceptance. Public opinion interpreting the Presidential Office’s reform as a "Yunhaekgwan push-out" is also increasing day by day. President Yoon has only given a general statement saying, "I will look into it carefully."

In fact, the results of this Presidential Office overhaul will inevitably have a direct impact on President Yoon’s approval ratings, which have been on a slight upward trend. Although various polls show a modest rise, President Yoon’s approval of his governance remains stagnant.

President Yoon has adopted a strategy of refining his answers during morning press encounters around his 100th day in office to preempt controversies arising from his responses, but this is not a solution to regain public trust. The outcome of this overhaul will also serve as a gauge of how this administration will handle various controversies going forward. At a point just over 100 days into the remaining five years, the entire nation is watching the process of this first overhaul. / Bae Kyunghwan, Deputy Chief of Political Department khbae@

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