Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
Kim Eun-hye returns as senior press secretary
Kim Eun-hye, new senior press secretary for President Yoon Suk-yeol, speaks after a reshuffle announcement at the press room of the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. Newsis
By Jung Min-ho
Ex-Vice Trade Minister Lee appointed senior secretary for policy planning; Lim named deputy national security adviser
By Jung Min-ho
President Yoon Suk-yeol replaced his senior secretary for public relations, Sunday, as dismal approval ratings jeopardize his reform agenda before it even starts.
The presidential office announced that Kim Eun-hye, 51, a former lawmaker who had previously been spokeswoman for Yoon's transition team, will replace Choi Young-bum in the top PR post as part of the first major reshuffle of the office since Yoon's inauguration in May.
Kim, a TV anchor-turned-politician who vacated her National Assembly seat to run unsuccessfully in the race for Gyeonggi governorship in June, has now been handed the task of developing media strategies and helping the administration improve communication with the public.
“Given that Kim is well aware of the philosophy of President Yoon's state affairs and that she can communicate effectively about his political agenda and its results with the public, it makes her the most suitable person for the post,” presidential chief of staff Kim Dae-ki said at a press briefing.
Lee Kwan-sup, 61, former vice minister of trade, industry and energy, was appointed to the newly established position of senior presidential secretary for policy planning. The post was created to improve “coordination and communication” between the presidential office and government departments, the presidential chief of staff said.
Lim Jong-deuk, a former Army two-star general who served as presidential defense secretary during the Park Geun-hye administration, was named to fill the post of second deputy chief of the National Security Office after Shin In-ho stepped down earlier this month over health issues.
President Yoon Suk-yeol's new senior press secretary Kim Eun-hye, left, new senior policy planning secretary Lee Kwan-sup, center, and new second deputy National Security Adviser Lim Jong-deuk stand before reporters during a reshuffle announcement at the presidential office in Seoul, Sunday. Yonhap
The reorganization comes amid Yoon's low approval ratings, which are blamed partly on poor communication, as the public has reacted furiously to some of his reform policies such as lowering the school entry age by one year. That policy, which would have affected millions of prospective students, their parents and teachers, was proposed in July with little warning; many parents, surprised by the news, demanded its retraction, which resulted in the resignation of Park Soon-ae as education minister and the retraction of the policy.
Yoon's communication problem was exposed earlier when hundreds of senior police officers protested the formation of a police supervisory bureau under the interior ministry. The police, along with opposition lawmakers, painted the move as tightening government control of the police. However, in contrast with their claim, many experts see it as a division of power ― from the presidential office, which had strictly controlled the police in former administrations, to the ministry. Yet, the office was slow and ineffective in presenting this context, which resulted in a further decline of his approval ratings.
According to a poll released Friday by Gallup Korea, Yoon's approval rating was 28 percent, a drop from over 50 percent just three months ago. Education was his worst performance area, with only 11 percent approving his policy.
Yoon took office with a promise to push boldly ahead with what is necessary for the nation's future, even if that means he should take an unpopular path. Yet, with his dangerously low popularity, many remain doubtful that he will be able to reform outdated systems, including the national pension and labor systems.