Yim named presidential chief of staff

New lineup of senior aides will be announced soon

By Na Jeong-ju

Staff reporter

President Lee Myung-bak named Minister of Employment and Labor Yim Tae-hee, a three-term lawmaker who helped him win the 2007 election as a key campaigner, as his new chief of staff, Cheong Wa Dae announced Thursday.

The 53-year-old replaces Chung Chung-kil, 68, who tendered his resignation after the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) suffered an unexpected defeat in the June 2 local elections.

The appointment came one day after Lee reorganized the presidential secretariat in hopes of regaining public confidence in the governing camp, which has been reeling from an abuse-of-power scandal involving the Office of the Prime Minister, and a deep-rooted struggle between rival factions.

"Yim has a proven track record as a hard-working lawmaker, a capable administrator and a talented politician. Most of all, he understands the President's governance philosophy well," senior presidential secretary for public relations Lee Dong-kwan told reporters.

"Maintaining smooth relations with the administration and the National Assembly, Yim will help strengthen dialogue and policy coordination with the opposition parties and civic organizations."

The decision came amid speculation that Prime Minister Chung Un-chan may announce his resignation as early as this week. Yim had also been one of the potential candidates to succeed Chung as premier.

President Lee will announce a new lineup of senior secretaries Sunday, aides said. He is also expected to conduct a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle around the July 28 by-elections.

"Yim's appointment as the chief of staff indicates that there will be much younger Cabinet and presidential secretariat," an aide said. "We can't rule out that some ministers and secretaries could be in their 40s."

Born in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, Yim served as chief secretary to Lee during his presidential campaign and when he was President-elect.

Yim is known for his expertise in finance and political affairs. He studied business administration at Seoul National University and worked at the finance ministry for two decades before making the switch to politics.

He was elected to the National Assembly for the first time in 2000 and served as spokesman for the GNP, and its chief policy coordinator. He has been serving as labor minister since September 2009.

Yim reportedly met secretly with North Korean officials in Singapore last year as Lee's special envoy in an unsuccessful attempt to arrange an inter-Korean summit.

He is expected to give up his parliamentary seat in accordance with customary practice.