President Lee Unable to Decide on Chief of Staff's Resignation...Multiple Vacancies in Key Government Posts

President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly acknowledged shortcomings in state affairs and expressed regret, and now Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoon-sik has submitted his resignation, highlighting vacancies in key government positions.

According to reports from the 21st, Secretary Kang submitted his resignation to President Lee that day. As chair of the Blue House Personnel Committee, which deliberates ministerial-level appointments, criticism has been leveled against him regarding the successive withdrawals of Justice Minister nominee Kim Seung-won and Gender Equality and Family Affairs Minister nominee Yong Hye-in.

President Lee stated regarding whether to accept Secretary Kang's resignation: "I have not yet made a decision on what to do."

If Secretary Kang's resignation is accepted, the vacancy in the Blue House's core advisory staff will grow wider. Since former Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom stepped down on the 1st, no successor has been appointed, leaving the policy chief position vacant for 20 days already. Should Secretary Kang also step down, two of the three Blue House director-level positions—chief secretary, policy chief, and national security advisor—would be vacant.

The cabinet is also continuing under acting leadership arrangements.

Following former Justice Minister Jeong Seong-ho's retirement, the Justice Ministry chief post remains vacant. Nominee Kim Seung-won, named as his successor on the 30th of last month, withdrew on the 19th, putting the appointment process back to square one. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is also operating with First Vice Minister Roh Yong-seok serving as acting minister. The parliamentary confirmation hearing report for nominee Lee So-young, named as his successor, also fell through when the 21st plenary session of the standing committee of the National Assembly was cancelled.

The vacancies in the leadership of police and prosecution are even longer.

The police commissioner position has been vacant for 1 year 9 months since December 2024, with a third acting arrangement currently in place. The prosecutor general position has also been empty for 1 year 2 months since July of last year. With the prosecutor general acting chief effectively stepping back from duties, the prosecution has been operating under what is called a "proxy of a proxy" system, with the chief of the Investigation Planning and Coordination Division leading the organization.

Particularly notable is that ahead of the dissolution of the Prosecutors Office on the 2nd of next month and the launch of the Public Prosecution Office and Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, appointments of Justice Minister, Police Commissioner, Public Prosecutor, and other key figures of the criminal justice system remain unfinalized.

These personnel vacancies coincide with a time when President Lee has repeatedly taken a more humble stance.

At a press conference on the 18th, President Lee stated regarding the recent state of national affairs: "In the end, all of this is due to my shortcomings," and "I lacked respect for the people." The next day on the 19th, regarding controversy over citations in his SNS posts, he said: "If there are those who felt hurt, I express regret."

With successive expressions of regret, ministerial nominee withdrawals, and the chief of staff's resignation all compounding, President Lee now faces a situation where he must simultaneously appoint a new policy chief for the Blue House, a Justice Minister, and long-vacant heads of major power institutions.