By Jun Ji-hye
President Park Geun-hye replaced senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs Ju Chul-ki, Monday, amid mounting calls for her top security aides to take responsibility for failing to obtain four key technologies related to F-35 stealth fighters from the United States.
Ju was replaced with Kim Kyou-hyon, the deputy chief of the National Security Office (NSO), according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The reshuffle has been construed as Park censuring the secretary over the failure to receive the core technologies from the U.S., which dealt a serious setback to the nation's 8.5 trillion won KF-X project to develop indigenous fighter jets by 2025.
Hours before the announcement, a local newspaper reported that Ju had expressed his intention to resign just before Park left for Washington last week.
He has been criticized for not properly handling the matter between ministries and the presidential office, while the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) belatedly reported the refusal by the United States to Cheong Wa Dae only in June. DAPA was first notified of the U.S. refusal in April, according to officials.
Amid gloomy assessments about the feasibility of the KF-X project, speculation is also abounding about the fate of NSO chief Kim Kwan-jin and Defense Minister Han Min-koo.
Cheong Wa Dae's office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs launched an investigation last month into whether the F-35 deal with Lockheed Martin, signed in September last year, followed proper rules and whether there was any corruption.
The contract included an offset program in which DAPA claimed Lockheed promised to hand over 25 technologies related to the stealth fighter, including the four, to Korea.
Speculation over the President's censure of high-ranking officials gained support especially after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter rejected Minister Han's request for the transfer at the Pentagon last Thursday, while the latter was accompanying President Park on her trip to the U.S.
Critics claimed that Han suffered a humiliation, tarnishing the achievements of Park's tour to the U.S.
Han was also criticized for openly talking about his plan to ask Carter for the transfer, although he apparently knew that the U.S. government would be unlikely to reverse its earlier decision not to allow Lockheed to transfer the technologies.
Some critics say that NSO chief Kim may face punishment as well over his role in the decision to buy 40 F-35s from Lockheed as defense minister. Kim served in the post from December 2012 to June last year, and headed the Defense Acquisition Program Executive Committee that selected F-35s over Boeing's F15-SEs in March last year.
At the time, controversy erupted following the decision to go with Lockheed because the decision came after the committee rejected Boeing's F-15SE, first recommended by DAPA in September 2013. DAPA officials noted that the decision to reject the F-15SE was unexpected as Boeing was more positive in handing over core technologies.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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| Ju Chul-ki, senior presidential secretary for foreign affairs |
Ju was replaced with Kim Kyou-hyon, the deputy chief of the National Security Office (NSO), according to Cheong Wa Dae.
The reshuffle has been construed as Park censuring the secretary over the failure to receive the core technologies from the U.S., which dealt a serious setback to the nation's 8.5 trillion won KF-X project to develop indigenous fighter jets by 2025.
Hours before the announcement, a local newspaper reported that Ju had expressed his intention to resign just before Park left for Washington last week.
He has been criticized for not properly handling the matter between ministries and the presidential office, while the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) belatedly reported the refusal by the United States to Cheong Wa Dae only in June. DAPA was first notified of the U.S. refusal in April, according to officials.
Amid gloomy assessments about the feasibility of the KF-X project, speculation is also abounding about the fate of NSO chief Kim Kwan-jin and Defense Minister Han Min-koo.
Cheong Wa Dae's office of the senior presidential secretary for civil affairs launched an investigation last month into whether the F-35 deal with Lockheed Martin, signed in September last year, followed proper rules and whether there was any corruption.
The contract included an offset program in which DAPA claimed Lockheed promised to hand over 25 technologies related to the stealth fighter, including the four, to Korea.
Speculation over the President's censure of high-ranking officials gained support especially after U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter rejected Minister Han's request for the transfer at the Pentagon last Thursday, while the latter was accompanying President Park on her trip to the U.S.
Critics claimed that Han suffered a humiliation, tarnishing the achievements of Park's tour to the U.S.
Han was also criticized for openly talking about his plan to ask Carter for the transfer, although he apparently knew that the U.S. government would be unlikely to reverse its earlier decision not to allow Lockheed to transfer the technologies.
Some critics say that NSO chief Kim may face punishment as well over his role in the decision to buy 40 F-35s from Lockheed as defense minister. Kim served in the post from December 2012 to June last year, and headed the Defense Acquisition Program Executive Committee that selected F-35s over Boeing's F15-SEs in March last year.
At the time, controversy erupted following the decision to go with Lockheed because the decision came after the committee rejected Boeing's F-15SE, first recommended by DAPA in September 2013. DAPA officials noted that the decision to reject the F-15SE was unexpected as Boeing was more positive in handing over core technologies.
Follow Jun Ji-hye on Twitter @TheKopJihye
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