| National Security Director nominee Kim Sung-han speaks during a press conference at the presidential transition committee office in Tongui-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, Sunday. Joint Press Corps |
Presidential office to become slimmer, with fewer senior secretaries
By Nam Hyun-woo
Kim Sung-han, a professor at Korea University and former vice foreign minister, will serve as national security adviser to President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, Yoon's chief of staff Chang Je-won announced, Sunday.
Along with Kim, Chang announced the appointments of a pack of presidential aides who have been widely anticipated. Following the nominations, the current post of chief of staff for policy will be abolished, and the number of senior presidential secretaries will be decreased.
“Kim, who served as the second vice foreign minister, has his expertise in diplomacy and national security,” Chang said during a press conference. “His competence in both theory and policy making will make him the best fit for the role of control tower for national security.”
Kim's nomination had been expected, as he has been advising the president-elect on foreign and national security policies since the presidential election campaign period.
Kim served as the second vice minister from 2012 to 2013 and built his career as a specialist in South Korea-U.S. relations. He is known as an advocate for a stronger Seoul-Washington alliance, which matches Yoon's idea of having the alliance as the foundation of Korea's foreign policy.
“(The Yoon administration) will drive inter-Korean relations based on the firm principle of facilitating peace and prosperity through denuclearization,” Kim told reporters after his nomination. “Rather than becoming a passive pursuer, we will approach inter-Korean matters on an equal footing.”
With Kim leading the Office of National Security, Sungkyunkwan University professor Kim Tae-hyo was named as first deputy director of national security, in charge of national defense and cybersecurity. Shin In-ho, a former Army major general and head of Eulji Research Institute under the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, was nominated as the second deputy director, in charge of foreign policy and unification strategies.
Traditionally, the post of first deputy director of the Office of National Security has been filled by former generals or defense specialists, while the second deputy director has mostly been filled by foreign affairs experts.
Under Yoon's presidency, however, national security adviser nominee Kim told reporters that the first deputy director will be in charge of foreign policy and national security, while the second deputy director will handle national defense.
| From top left are National Security Director nominee Kim Sung-han, first deputy director of national security nominee Kim Tae-hyo, second deputy director of national security nominee Shin In-ho, Presidential Security Service head nominee Kim Yong-hyun and senior secretary for political affairs nominee Lee Jin-bok. From bottom left are senior presidential secretary for civic and social agenda nominee Kang Seung-kyoo, senior security for public relations nominee Choi Young-bum, senior secretary for economic affairs nominee Choi Sang-mok, senior secretary for society nominee Ahn Sang-hoon and spokesperson nominee Kang In-sun. Courtesy of presidential transition committee |
Former lawmaker Lee Jin-bok was named as senior secretary for political affairs. Lee is a three-term lawmaker serving in the National Assembly from 2008 to 2020, and Chang described him as a “reasonable and balanced” figure.
Along with them, former lawmaker Kang Seung-kyoo was named as senior presidential secretary for civic and social agenda, and former editor-in-chief of broadcaster SBS Choi Young-bum was nominated as senior secretary for public relations.
Former Vice Finance Minister Choi Sang-mok was tapped as senior secretary for economic affairs. Ahn Sang-hoon, a professor of social welfare at Seoul National University, was named as senior secretary for society. Chosun Ilbo newspaper former deputy managing editor Kang In-sun will become Yoon's first spokesperson.
Following the nominations, the post of chief of staff for policy, which supervises economic policy, will be abolished, reducing the number of chief of staff-level aides from three to two. Currently, the presidential office of President Moon Jae-in has three chief of staff-level aides ― chief of staff Yoo Young-min, chief of staff for policy Lee Ho-seung and national security adviser Suh Hoon.
Also, the number of senior secretaries will be trimmed to five from eight, as part of Yoon's pledge to have a smaller presidential office.
“So far, Cheong Wa Dae (the current presidential office) has been taking control of the overall administration, limiting the government's role as executing Cheong Wa Dae's orders,” Chang said. “So we decided to have a slimmer presidential office to enable the administration to be more creative and innovative in policymaking. The office will focus on coordinating their work.”