By Na Jeong-ju
Staff reporter
President Lee Myung-bak urged his senior secretaries Monday to drop formalities and activate internal communication to develop better policies for ordinary citizens.
“If there is no communication among the presidential staff, it will be difficult to ensure external communication,” Lee said at his first meeting with a new lineup of senior secretaries at Cheong Wa Dae.
“What’s urgent now is to reactivate policy coordination among the government, the presidential office and the ruling Grand National Party to better address the needs of ordinary people.”
On July 7, Lee reorganized the presidential secretariat in hopes of regaining public confidence in the ruling camp, which has been reeling from an unexpected defeat in the June 2 local elections.
Since then, he has replaced his chief of staff, senior secretary for political affairs and secretary for public relations, and named a new spokesperson in a reshuffle aimed at strengthening communication with a wider spectrum of political and social groups.
Yim Tae-hee, the new chief of staff, said he would hold a one-hour meeting with Lee’s secretaries every day to coordinate state affairs.
“It is important to collect opinions in a bottom-up manner to ensure smooth policy coordination,” said Yim, a former three-term lawmaker.
Lee’s aides said the presidential office will complete the reorganization of the presidential secretariat as early as this week by appointing some new junior secretaries.
The conservative leader is also expected to conduct a sweeping Cabinet reshuffle later this month.