Restructuring of Presidential Office Due
By Na Jeong-ju
Staff Reporter
Cheong Wa Dae appears to be moving toward streamlining its organization to ensure more efficiency in planning and coordinating state policies.
Citing sources at the presidential office, the Kukmin Ilbo newspaper reported Thursday that Cheong Wa Dae plans to abolish the Office of Secretary to the President for State Affairs Planning and combine the Office of Secretary to the President for Public Affairs with the Office of the Spokesperson.
A presidential spokesman flatly denied the report, but some Cheong Wa Dae officials say a restructuring is inevitable to help President Lee Myung-bak gain fresh momentum in state management.
The report came amid speculation that Cheong Wa Dae will announce a new line-up for the Cabinet and the presidential secretariat as early as this month.
``President Lee has repeatedly called for middle-of-the-road pragmatism to embrace different ideological and social groups and promote policies for middle-income earners and less-privileged people,'' a source at Cheong Wa Dae said. ``It signals a significant change in the way he governs the nation. It is natural to think that he will need new people to push new policies.''
The source insisted this approach will draw more supporters, pushing his public approval rating above 40 percent in the second half of the year. The latest opinion poll by the Hankook Ilbo, a sister paper of The Korea Times, showed 63.1 percent did not approve of Lee's management of state affairs.
``Lee's economic reform is expected to gain momentum in the coming months as his administration is stepping up its drive to enhance the country's growth potential and provide more job opportunities,'' another source said.
This week, Cheong Wa Dae promoted 50 low and middle-ranking officials and changed positions for some of them. This also indicates an imminent shake-up of the secretariat and a restructuring of the presidential office, the source said.
Analysts say President Lee needs to appeal to a wider base of voters in coming months with local elections slated for June next year. The elections are regarded as a confidence vote for the conservative leader, and a barometer for the general elections and the presidential election in 2012.