Some PPP members propose reform of Office of the President

With People Power Party (PPP)’s decision to shift to the system of Emergency Committee Chairman, now the ruling party’s reform moves are heading towards Office of the President in earnest.

During a KBS radio interview, four-term PPP lawmaker Hong Moon-pyo commented on Wednesday, “One of the reasons that the party ran into emergency is “YKM” (President Yoon Suk-yeol’s key close members)” and, “Now, we need to take a step back and seek new measures to make President Yoon Suk-yeol’s administration better.” He mentioned that President Yoon Suk-yeol won with a 0.73 percent lead and said, “We are 0.73 percent administration but the fact that (President Yoon Suk-yeol’s) approval rate is down to 28 percent means that this is a negative 28 percent administration.”

Rep. Ha Tae-kyung, a three-term of the ruling party, also argued for the replacement of Chief of Staff to the President. To BBS radio, Rep. Ha commented, “If the approval rate is 20 percent in the beginning of the term, even the public officials would not listen well. As it is an emergency, what is needed in Office of the President is not the Chief of staff but ‘Chief of Emergency’ who can change the direction of the President of Korea and who could take the helm of Office of the President.” Ha raised the responsibility of Senior Presidential Secretary of Social Affairs Ahn Sang-hoon regarding the dispute over the school system change. A four-term legislator Kim Ki-hyeon who helped President Yoon’s winning the election also asked for the realignment of the Presidential Secretariat.

With many of some key figures from the ruling party asking for personnel reshuffling of Office of the President, it is generally accepted that President Yoon Suk-yeol’s concerns ought to get deeper. One figure from the ruling party conveyed that the realignment for the next Chief of staff to the President has started behind the scenes.


Dong-Joo Cho djc@donga.com