President Lee Jae-myung on the 14th appointed National Tax Service commissioner Im Kwang-hyun as the new presidential chief of staff (Yonhap, Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun). He succeeds Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, who announced his resignation on the 21st of last month, and the appointment came 23 days after that (Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo). Kang himself announced the successor at an afternoon briefing in the Chunchugwan press room, and the Blue House introduced Im as a politician from an economic-bureaucrat background who combines administrative experience with political sense (Dong-A Ilbo, SBS). Im served as a 22nd National Assembly member and as the first National Tax Service commissioner of the Lee Jae-myung government (Chosun Ilbo). President Lee wrote on X that he trusts and expects Im to do as well as Hoon-sik hyung, no, even better (Dong-A Ilbo, Electronic Times). The Democratic Party welcomed him as the right person to speed up results in governing (Yonhap), and the People Power Party criticized the pick as a payback appointment, citing that his brother-in-law is President Lee's lawyer (Chosun Ilbo, Yonhap). Floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik demanded that President Lee also say whether he accepted Kang's resignation (Electronic Times).
The chief of staff is the key post linking the Blue House, the government and the ruling party. Im has been through both the National Assembly and the executive branch, and Electronic Times judged the pick to reaffirm a performance-first approach to appointments. On the other hand, the opposition has raised fairness issues over the pick, which could become fodder for the parliamentary audit and political fights.
The chief of staff's leanings are a clue to the government's priorities. Since the explanation is that results for ordinary people come first, it is worth watching how everyday economic policies such as taxes, prices and tax arrears collection change. But no policy change has been confirmed at this stage.
The view that placing someone who knows administration, politics and tax affairs improves coordination among party, government and Blue House and the execution of livelihood policies. It also credits the choice of someone with a record such as collecting large tax arrears.
The view that putting at the head of the staff someone whose brother-in-law is the president's lawyer and whose wife was appointed consul general under this government looks like taking care of one's own people. Criticism that the pick fronts the Seongnam-Gyeonggi line has also emerged.
What is confirmed are the appointment, the résumé, and the reports that his brother-in-law worked on President Lee's legal defense team. The payback interpretation is the opposition's assessment, and it is not yet known whether the appointment will translate into policy results. Today, watch Im's first message, any further reshuffle of Blue House staff, and whether a successor as head of the tax service is named. If President Lee set ‘as well as Hoon-sik hyung’ as the standard, it is also worth watching what indicators are used to show results.
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President Lee taps tax service head Im Kwang-hyun as new chief of staff, 23 days after Kang Hoon-sik's resignation
The Blue House cited administrative experience and political sense. The People Power Party criticized the pick, saying his brother-in-law was President Lee's lawyer
President Lee Jae-myung on the 14th appointed National Tax Service commissioner Im Kwang-hyun as the new presidential chief of staff (Yonhap, Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun). He succeeds Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, who announced his resignation on the 21st of last month, and the appointment came 23 days after that (Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo). Kang himself announced the successor at an afternoon briefing in the Chunchugwan press room (Dong-A Ilbo, ZDNet Korea). The Blue House introduced Im as a politician from an economic-bureaucrat background who combines administrative experience with political sense, having served as a 22nd National Assembly member and as National Tax Service commissioner (Chosun Ilbo, SBS). It is also notable that, after policy chief Ha Jun-kyung was appointed earlier this month, an economic expert now holds the chief of staff post too (ZDNet Korea single report). President Lee wrote on X, “I trust and expect him to do as well as Hoon-sik hyung, no, even better” (Dong-A Ilbo, Electronic Times), and Im said, “Just as people's days are desperate, the Blue House's days must be desperate too” (Kyunghyang Shinmun, Korea Economic Daily).
Reactions were mixed. The Democratic Party welcomed him as the right person to speed up results in governing (Yonhap). The People Power Party criticized the pick right after it was announced as ‘the definitive payback appointment for the Daejang-dong family’ (Chosun Ilbo, Chosun Biz). Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok pointed out that Im's brother-in-law, lawyer Lee Seung-yeop, had defended President Lee in the Daejang-dong, Public Official Election Act, subornation of perjury and illegal remittances to North Korea cases (Chosun Ilbo). Chosun Ilbo also reported that Im's wife, Lee Kyung-eun, was appointed consul general in Houston under this government. People Power Party floor leader Jeong Jeom-sik asked whether a figurehead for the Seongnam-Gyeonggi line had been put forward (Dong-A Ilbo) and demanded that President Lee also say whether he accepted Kang's resignation (Electronic Times). These assessments are the opposition's claims, not confirmed facts. Electronic Times read the pick as a performance-based appointment of someone who delivered results in collecting large tax arrears, while Yonhap wrote that it was a ‘surprise card’ after three weeks of deliberation, so all the rumored names missed. Today, Im's first message and whether the Blue House staff will be reshuffled further are worth watching.