Presidential Office "Protocol Secretary Submitted Resignation... Immediately Accepted"

Resignation Four Hours After Presidential Office Investigation Briefing Started

The Presidential Office immediately accepted the resignation submitted by Kim Seung-hee, the Protocol Secretary of the Presidential Office, amid allegations of cover-up related to school violence involving his elementary school daughter on the 20th.

Lee Do-woon of the Presidential Office held an additional briefing at the Yongsan Presidential Office in the afternoon and stated, "The Protocol Secretary, who was accused of child school violence today, expressed a deep sense of responsibility as a parent and submitted his resignation to avoid burdening state affairs, which was immediately accepted."

The Office of Public Service Discipline of the Presidential Office had launched an investigation into Secretary Kim, and it was announced that he was excluded from accompanying President Yoon on his visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, just over four hours ago.

Kim Seung-hee, Protocol Secretary [Photo by Yonhap News]

With the immediate acceptance of Secretary Kim's resignation, the investigation by the Office of Public Service Discipline is expected to conclude.

Earlier, Kim Young-ho, a member of the National Assembly's Education Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, raised suspicions regarding the assault incident involving Secretary Kim's daughter during a national audit of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education. It was alleged that Secretary Kim's daughter, a third grader in elementary school, took a second-grade junior to the restroom and assaulted her with a recorder and fists, causing injuries requiring nine weeks of medical treatment.

Regarding the disciplinary committee's review, Secretary Kim's daughter received 15 points (with 16 points being the threshold for forced transfer), thus avoiding forced transfer. Kim explained, "The parents of the victim suspect that the committee members adjusted the score because they felt burdened by the forced transfer measure and are demanding the transfer of the offending student."

Kim also suspected that Secretary Kim's wife uploaded a photo of Secretary Kim and President Yoon together as her KakaoTalk profile picture on the day the school principal issued an emergency attendance suspension for the offending student, interpreting it as an attempt to pressure the school and parents.

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