SEOUL, President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday he has revived the position of senior presidential secretary for civil affairs and appointed a former vice justice minister to the post.
Kim Joo-hyun, a former prosecutor who served as vice justice minister in 2015, has been named senior secretary for civil affairs, Yoon told reporters at the presidential office.
The position, which had dealt with legal and anti-corruption issues, was abolished when Yoon took office two years ago amid accusations it was used to meddle in investigations by the prosecution and the police.
“The function of listening to the public sentiment has been too weak,” Yoon said when asked why he decided to revive the office. “There’s a reason why all administrations do it, and because they said the civil affairs work was not functioning properly, I thought hard about it and decided it would be good to restore it.”
Yoon cited the example of former President Kim Dae-jung, who abolished the office of the senior secretary for civil affairs bef
ore reviving it two years into his term.
The appointment is the latest measure Yoon has taken to reset his running of state affairs following the ruling party’s crushing defeat in the April 10 parliamentary elections.
Two weeks ago, he replaced his chief of staff and senior secretary for political affairs.
When asked to address suspicions the new office could be used to control investigation agencies and respond to his own legal issues — an apparent reference to allegations surrounding first lady Kim Keon Hee — Yoon said the office was established “for the people.”
“If there are things raised against me, that would be for me to explain and resolve, not the job of the senior secretary for civil affairs,” he said.
Kim, the new secretary, told reporters afterward that his office will oversee the secretary for civil affairs, a position to be newly established, as well as the offices of the secretary for civil service discipline and the secretary for legal affairs, which will be transferred from under the p
residential chief of staff.
“I will listen to the candid public sentiment and do my best to reflect it in the running of state affairs,” he said.
Source: Yonhap News Agency