Cheong Wa Dae Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom Resigns... First Chief-Level Replacement 15 Months After Government Launch

Cheong Wa Dae Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom stepped down from his post today (September 1).

This marks the first chief-level replacement since the launch of the Lee Jae-myung administration in June of last year.

Kang Yu-jung, Senior Presidential Spokesperson, stated in a briefing today, "Chief Kim expressed his intent to resign yesterday," adding, "Accordingly, President Lee Jae-myung accepted his resignation today."

Behind-the-scenes factors cited for his resignation include deteriorating public sentiment stemming from turmoil in the financial market caused by single-stock leverage ETFs.

In particular, as President Lee's approval ratings have recently shown a downward trend, it is perceived that a personnel shake-up was inevitable to secure trust in key government initiatives such as real estate policies, upon which the administration has staked its life.

Appointed as the inaugural policy chief of the current administration, Kim served for about 15 months as the control tower overseeing policy formulation and the implementation of national tasks across economic, industrial, and fiscal sectors.

Notably, he spearheaded major pending issues on the front lines, including South Korea-U.S. trade negotiations, and played a leading role in pushing forward the government's recently announced top-priority project, the "Three Mega Projects."

Accordingly, while some observers projected that Kim would maintain his position without replacement, he ultimately appears to have decided to step down considering the recent worsening public sentiment, alongside the fact that the government's role for this year in next year's budget bill and tax system reform work has virtually reached its final stage.

Following Kim's resignation, expectations have also been raised that there could be a series of reshuffles within the policy line, including the appointment of his successor.

However, Cheong Wa Dae has not yet disclosed specific details regarding the background of his resignation or plans for appointing a successor.

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.