Kim Hyun-chong did not offer to resign: Cheong Wa Dae
National Security Office Second Deputy Director Kim Hyun-chong, right, at a meeting of presidential aides, presided over by President Moon Jae-in, on Dec. 30. Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin
By Jung Da-min
Cheong Wa Dae on Friday denied reports that senior presidential aide Kim Hyun-chong has offered to resign as second deputy director of the presidential National Security Office (NSO).
“The NSO's second deputy Kim Hyun-chong didn't offer his resignation. Reports over Kim's resignation are far from the truth,” a Cheong Wa Dae official told reporters at a briefing.
The official said the NSO deputy's commitment to his role remained firm and the senior presidential aide “has no intention” to run in the April 2020 general elections.
It was speculated that Kim was planning to run in the election after resigning. Media reports said Kim's offer of resignation was likely to be related to his recent “conflict” with Choi Jong-kun, presidential secretary for peace planning, over assessment of inter-Korean policies.
Kim and Choi reportedly clashed over the direction of President Moon Jae-in's North Korea policy. The reports said Choi, who is also a top confidant of Moon Chung-in, the special presidential adviser on unification and diplomatic issues, wanted government policy to be more focused on inter-Korean relations when it came to economic sanctions against the North. Kim opposed the idea, citing the importance of the South Korea-U.S. alliance.
Choi used his Facebook account to apologize for the fuss and said he would restrain himself to be faithful to his role as a presidential aide.
The presidential office did not elaborate on the possibility that Kim might run in the April general election.
Kim was at the center stage of controversies several times last year, including a “verbal clash” with Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha during Moon's tour of central Asia last April. The spat with Kang became public knowledge during a National Assembly session at which Kang admitted the incident had happened.
A former WTO lawyer and chief of Samsung's legal affairs team, Kim is known as a “hidden force” in plotting South Korea's diplomatic strategies with Japan and the United States. Kim, who is also the country's most seasoned trade specialist, pushed ahead with his plans to nullify an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan despite opposition from other senior presidential aides.
Some within the presidential office have welcomed his “very candid outspoken style” in terms of highlighting South Korea's ability to handle complex diplomatic issues, because he has extensive connections with senior White House officials.
However, the “Kim Hyun-chong style” has brought some “unnecessary fuss” from presidential aides who have long been associated with the “dovish stance” of South Korea's rapprochement in sensitive diplomatic issues with the U.S. and Japan.