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South Korea's president delays naming new chief of staff as audit nears
In short
President Lee Jae-myung has not named a successor to chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik two weeks after Kang offered to resign on Sept 21 over falling approval ratings and two failed ministerial nominations. The Blue House says the president is still deliberating, with a parliamentary audit due to start on Oct 6 and forecasts split on whether an appointment comes before or after it. Candidates discussed include sitting and former lawmakers from both the president's inner circle and the broader ruling camp.
Why it matters
The chief of staff is the president's closest aide, coordinating relations with the party, government and parliament, so a prolonged vacancy affects the administration's handling of the National Assembly audit starting Oct 6. Korean outlets frame the delay as a test of the president's promised renewal amid low approval ratings and internal ruling-party tensions. The documents do not describe consequences beyond the domestic political calendar.
Key facts
- Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign on Sept 21, citing overall responsibility for falling approval ratings and the withdrawal of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality and Family Minister nominee Yong Hye-in. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- As of Oct 4, two weeks after the resignation offer, no successor had been named and Kang's resignation had not been formally accepted, according to Hankook Ilbo. [ 1 , 3 , 4 ]
- Ha Joon-kyung was appointed policy chief on Oct 1, while the chief of staff post remained unfilled. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A Blue House official told Hankook Ilbo the president is considering the chief of staff appointment with all possibilities open, and presidential communications secretary Seong Gi-hong said on Oct 1 that the personnel authority was deliberating. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Names discussed as possible candidates include Cheon Jun-ho, Han Jun-ho, Kim Min-ki, Jeong Seong-ho, Kim Young-jin, Kim Kyung-soo, Lee Chul-hee and Park Kwang-on. [ 1 , 2 , 4 ]
- A National Assembly audit of the government begins on Oct 6, with the presidential office audit scheduled for Oct 30. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reported on Oct 6 that the search had shifted toward a three-term lawmaker from outside the National Assembly in a managerial role, after a two-term sitting lawmaker was initially considered. [ 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign on Sept 21 over falling approval ratings and the failed nominations of Kim Seung-won and Yong Hye-in. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- Two weeks after the resignation offer, the successor had not been announced. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- The Blue House said the president was still deliberating over the appointment. [ 1 , 2 ]
- A parliamentary audit starts on Oct 6, which the documents link to the timing of the appointment. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Kang's resignation will be accepted or whether he will stay on for a period. Hankook Ilbo and Kyunghyang Shinmun both report a possibility of a limited-term stay, but attribute it to speculation and, in Kyunghyang's case, to a governor's remarks, with no decision confirmed.
- Whether the new chief of staff will be announced before the Oct 6 audit or after it. Hankook Ilbo reports conflicting forecasts within the same document, and Kyunghyang Shinmun says the appointment could slip past the audit period.
- Who the next chief of staff will be. The documents list candidate names as speculation and say no decision has been announced.
- The reported shift toward a three-term, non-incumbent, managerial-type candidate. This is reported by Chosun Ilbo alone in a column citing its own reporting.
What local media are saying
Business mediaAll five documents come from national daily newspapers labelled as business-type outlets here, and they focus on the political personnel process: the reasons for Kang's resignation, the candidate pool, the Blue House's silence and the coming parliamentary audit. Kyunghyang Shinmun and Hankook Ilbo quote Blue House officials and ruling-party lawmakers, while Chosun Ilbo reports a change in the search criteria. Coverage treats the delay as a sign of difficulty in finding a suitable figure.
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Timeline, local time
- Chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offers to resign, citing overall responsibility for falling approval ratings and the failed ministerial nominations. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- President Lee Jae-myung returns from a trip to the United States and Mexico; an announcement of both the policy chief and chief of staff had been widely expected. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Ha Joon-kyung is appointed policy chief; presidential communications secretary Seong Gi-hong says the personnel authority is deliberating on the chief of staff post. Kang's resignation is still not accepted. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Hankook Ilbo reports the president is still weighing the appointment, with a Blue House official saying all possibilities are open. [ 1 ]
- Kyunghyang Shinmun reports the Blue House is focusing on a political-affairs type chief of staff able to unite the ruling camp. [ 2 ]
- Chosun Ilbo reports the search has shifted toward a three-term lawmaker from outside the National Assembly in a managerial role. The National Assembly audit also begins this day. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
- The presidential office is scheduled to be audited by the National Assembly, a date cited in discussion of when an appointment might come. [ 1 ]