Presidential Office Reviews New Year's Press Conference and Establishment of Second Secretariat

Intention to Rebuild Communication Image Ahead of General Election
Likely to Form Second Secretariat Centered on Secretariat Staff
People Power "Welcome" Democratic Party "Special Prosecutor Veto Diversion"

The Presidential Office is considering holding a New Year's press conference and establishing a Second Secretariat. This move is interpreted as an effort to break through the political deadlock caused by the veto of the so-called 'double special prosecution laws,' including the special prosecution law on First Lady Kim Geon-hee and the 5 billion won club special prosecution law related to Daejang-dong, as well as to resolve the ongoing controversy over First Lady Kim's protocol issues.

On the 8th, a Presidential Office official said regarding the possibility of holding a New Year's press conference, "We are reviewing various methods and possibilities with an open mind." Since President Yoon Seok-yeol emphasizes livelihood and fieldwork ahead of the general election, this is interpreted as an intention to rebuild an image of communication. Except for the door-stepping (brief Q&A on the way to work) held during the first six months of President Yoon's first year in office (May to November 2022), no press conference has been held since the 100-day press conference in August 2022. Last year, only a New Year's interview with Chosun Ilbo was conducted.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Additionally, the office is reviewing previous government cases and overseas organizational operations to reestablish a Second Secretariat dedicated to assisting First Lady Kim. During his presidential campaign, President Yoon pledged to abolish the Second Secretariat. However, since the Yoon administration began, First Lady Kim's public schedule has increased, and the Secretariat responsible for accompanying the President has been handling her affairs. The most likely plan is to form the Second Secretariat centered on personnel currently dedicated to First Lady Kim within the Secretariat. Since this would mean reversing a pledge President Yoon made in the past, if the New Year's press conference is held, there is a possibility that the position will be explained.

The People Power Party has expressed support, but the Democratic Party criticizes this as an attempt to divert attention from the veto of the special prosecution laws. Park Sung-jun, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, stated, "The Presidential Office, which exercised the veto on the special prosecution law for First Lady Kim, is trying to divert public attention by pushing for the establishment of the Second Secretariat." In response, another official rebutted, "The veto on the special prosecution laws and the review of establishing the Second Secretariat are completely unrelated matters."

Separately from the review of restoring the Second Secretariat, the Presidential Office plans to finalize organizational restructuring due to aides running in the general election. Personnel Secretary Lee Won-mo and Legal Secretary Joo Jin-woo will leave the Presidential Office on the 8th. Their positions will be filled by Deputy Spokesperson Choi Ji-hyun and International Legal Secretary Lee Young-sang, respectively. Shin Moon-gyu, Director of Planning and Coordination at the Ministry of Education, has been appointed as the successor to former Secretary Oh Seok-hwan, who was promoted to Vice Minister of Education.

In line with strengthening the economic security sector, the newly established Third Deputy Director Office under the National Security Office dedicated to economic security is expected to be set up as early as this week. Wang Yoon-jong, the current Economic Security Secretary, has been nominated for the position.

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