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Park to replace unpopular chief of staff

February 26, 2015

Kim Ki-choon, right. (NEWSis)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — President Park Geun-hye will replace her chief of staff Friday, her spokesman said, the latest in a series of reshuffles meant to start anew, following public backlash over a string of policy blunders and incidents.

Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook said a formal announcement will be made Friday afternoon, though he did not elaborate.

Hyun Myung-kwan, head of the Korea Racing Authority, a public corporation, appears likely to be named to the position, according to Park’s ruling Saenuri Party.

Hyun served as chief of Samsung C&T Corp., a construction and trading unit of Samsung Group, and he was affiliated with the Grand National Party, the predecessor of the Saenuri Party.

The move came more than a week after Park accepted the resignation of her unpopular chief of staff, Kim Ki-choon. She had been under pressure to sack Kim, a septuagenarian politician, over a series of incidents, including the leak of sensitive presidential documents.

Earlier this month, Park also carried out a Cabinet shake-up that affected the country’s financial regulator and three ministries, including the unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs.

The Cabinet shake-up came a day after ruling party lawmaker Lee Wan-koo, Park’s choice for prime minister, won parliamentary endorsement, despite public distrust of the nominee accused of various ethical lapses.

In South Korea, it has been common to conduct a Cabinet reshuffle or other personnel changes in a bid to overcome crises and start afresh with a new lineup.