Presidential Office Begins Establishing 'Second Secretariat' to Assist First Lady Kim Geon-hee

President Yoon Suk-yeol and First Lady Kim Keon-hee, who attended the 75th anniversary summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), returned home on the afternoon of the 12th through Seoul Airport in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, and are seen greeting as they disembark from Air Force One, their exclusive aircraft. [Image source=Yonhap News]

The Presidential Office has begun reorganizing its structure to establish a Second Secretariat to officially assist First Lady Kim Keon-hee's activities. This is interpreted as an effort to manage Kim's activities and reduce the burden on state affairs management.

According to ruling party sources on the 30th, the Presidential Office plans to amend the Presidential Secretariat's enforcement decree and soon form the Second Secretariat. The Second Secretariat is a department dedicated to supporting the First Lady's schedule and messages.

Previously, during his presidential campaign, President Yoon pledged to reduce presidential powers by abolishing the Second Secretariat. However, after the government was launched, various suspicions and incidents related to Kim arose, prompting voices both inside and outside the party and the Presidential Office to call for reinstating the Second Secretariat.

During the recent People Power Party leadership election, all candidates agreed on the necessity of establishing the Second Secretariat. Party leader candidate Han Dong-hoon stated at the time, "We should not delay the Second Secretariat any longer." President Yoon also mentioned in a February interview with KBS that "the Second Secretariat is under review by the Secretariat."

The Presidential Office's acceleration in establishing the Second Secretariat is interpreted as an intention to actively manage risks going forward, given that suspicions such as the First Lady's luxury handbag acceptance allegations are placing a burden on state affairs management.

The Presidential Office is also reportedly planning to finalize the appointment of the head of the Second Secretariat soon.

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