[Anchor]
Let's dig deeper into this with reporter Kang Min-u, who covers the Blue House.
Q. He was left out of the cabinet reshuffle?
[Reporter Kang Min-u : During the cabinet reshuffle announcement the day before yesterday (August 30), Blue House Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom was not included, leading to a flurry of interpretations that the policy stance would remain "unchanged." However, according to our reporting, yesterday morning—the day after the cabinet reshuffle announcement—reactions to the reshuffle were reported during an internal meeting attended by Chief Kim himself. It is said that an interpretation linking Chief Kim staying in his post to negative public sentiment regarding the reshuffle was mentioned there. While the Blue House maintains that such discussions did not influence Chief Kim's resignation, given that he expressed his intention to resign yesterday as well, some views suggest it is difficult to see the two as unrelated. A short while ago, Chief Kim shared a farewell message to his fellow policy staff on social media, leaving the remark, "I thought I shouldered a responsibility much greater than my ability, but I am proud of the results we created."]
Q. Is this a dismissal or a reprimand?
[Reporter Kang Min-u : The reason why rumors of a "dismissal" are circulating stems from the question of why, if he was going to be replaced anyway, there would be any reason to separately announce the cabinet reshuffle and the policy chief's resignation with a gap of just two days. (Right.) When we spoke with people in the ruling bloc, there are skeptical and curious reactions wondering why it was announced even before a successor was determined, whether it is effectively a reprimand despite taking the form of a voluntary resignation, and whether someone had to take responsibility because public opinion worsened after the cabinet reshuffle. However, explanations also emerge from within the Blue House that Kim was already planning to step down and that an opportunity simply presented itself. The explanation is that because mega-project initiatives were put on track and the government's tax reform bill was submitted to the cabinet meeting, Kim made the decision to resign viewing that he had concluded a chapter of the work he was in charge of. In addition, an analysis shared by multiple Blue House officials is that calls for accountability over ETFs were raised within the ruling party as well, and because a momentum was needed to bounce back the presidential approval rating that had fallen to the 30% range, it ultimately led to his resignation.]
Q. Tax reform bill U-turn... What does it mean?
[Reporter Kang Min-u : You could look at it that way. Real estate policies, including the tax reform bill, have previously been cited as factors behind the drop in the president's approval rating. Therefore, there is an aspect where it has been revised in a way that accommodates public opinion and the demands of the ruling party. Moreover, we have seen a series of events on the government policy side, such as the replacement of the executor, the voluntary resignation of the designer, and concessions on core policies. Whether this will serve as momentum for a rebound in the presidential approval ratings, and furthermore, the first test will likely be the parliamentary confirmation hearings resulting from the cabinet reshuffle—that is how this can be viewed.]
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