Cancellation of Working-Level Meeting for Summit Talks... Yoon: "Swift Progress Judged Through New Chief of Political Affairs Appointment"

President Yoon Suk-yeol stated on the 22nd regarding the cancellation of the preliminary working meeting for the first summit with Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, "I judged that it would be better to quickly appoint the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs and prepare and proceed accordingly."

President Yoon made this remark while announcing the appointment of former People Power Party lawmaker Hong Cheol-ho as the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Yongsan Presidential Office that afternoon.

Earlier, Kwon Hyuk-ki, head of the Political Planning Office at the Democratic Party leader's office, said in a briefing, "A preparatory meeting was scheduled for 3 p.m. today between Cheon Jun-ho, chief secretary to the party leader, and the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs at the Presidential Office. However, after the appointment of Presidential Chief Secretary Jeong Jin-seok today, the Senior Secretary for Political Affairs contacted Chief Secretary Cheon Jun-ho and unilaterally canceled the meeting, citing the planned replacement of the senior secretary."

Kwon also criticized, "This was a preparatory meeting for an important summit to heed the public sentiment from the general election, and I express regret over the immature handling of the preparatory meeting," adding, "The schedule for the next meeting is undecided."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is personally introducing Hong Cheol-ho, the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs of the Presidential Office, at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 22nd.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

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Former Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Han Oh-seop reportedly called around 11:40 a.m. on the same day to seek understanding, stating that it would be improper to meet with Chief Secretary Cheon Jun-ho before the appointment of the new Senior Secretary for Political Affairs.

The meeting time agreed upon by former Senior Secretary Han and Chief Secretary Cheon was 3 p.m. that day, and had the meeting proceeded normally, the announcement of the successor's appointment would have likely been made during the meeting.

When former Senior Secretary Han informed Chief Secretary Cheon about the upcoming announcement of the Presidential Office's Senior Secretary for Political Affairs replacement, Cheon reportedly responded, "Understood."

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