Park to hold press conference under pressure to reshuffle

President Park Geun-hye holds a New Year’s press conference on Monday morning as pressure to replace her key aides intensified in the wake of the sudden resignation of her senior secretary for civil affairs.

Senior Presidential Secretary for Civil Affairs Kim Young-han offered to resign, only a few hours after refusing to testify before the parliament on Friday over a recent document leak scandal involving Cheong Wa Dae officials.

The abrupt resignation of Kim stirred controversy as he was defying Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon’s order to appear before the National Assembly and clearly showed that Cheong Wa Dae, the nation’s top office, is in a disarray.

Park accepted Kim’s resignation on Saturday afternoon.

“Kim Young-han, senior presidential secretary for civil affairs, was removed from his position as of today as his resignation was accepted this morning,” said Presidential spokesman Min Kyung-wook on Saturday. “His resignation was submitted yesterday, and President Park sanctioned the documents related to his resignation presented by Kim Ki-choon, presidential chief of staff,” said Min.

However, questions remain as to whether she would accept the growing calls for changes in Blue House and choose to replace her key aides at a time when she desperately seeks a momentum to push her reform agendas.

Park is expected to announce her new state agenda and her vision on unification at the meeting with the press. The president will then take answers from 15 reporters, on a wide range of issues, according to officials.

Expectations are also high on how Park plans to tackle thorny issues such as the leak scandal at the conference to be televised nationwide.

Local reports said last week that Park may consider offering a public apology at the conference for causing public concern over a recent document leak.

Munhwa Ilbo quoted a senior party official as saying that messages were sent from the ruling Saenuri Party to Park “through multiple channels” urging her “to show herself taking responsibility for causing the incident” and “to promise to conduct a reshuffle” at the press conference.

Park has remained silent about the prosecution’s investigation into a leak of documents involving her former aides.

The prosecution concluded on Monday that a police superintendent who worked as an intelligence officer at Cheong Wa Dae fabricated the so-called “Chung Yoon-hoi documents” and delivered them to the president’s brother under the instruction of his “direct superior” Cho Eung-cheon.

The scandal, although evaluated by the prosecution as groundless, has dealt a heavy blow to President Park. Her approval ratings hit a nadir shortly after the scandal broke out late last year.

By Cho Chung-un ()