Pro-Roh Reshuffle Backfires Amid Scandals

President Lee Jae Myung's cabinet reshuffle, conducted three months after the local elections, is facing strong backlash. Kim Seung-won, a nominee for justice minister, is under fire over allegations of 'soliciting clinical approval for a pharmaceutical company,' while Yong Hye-in, a nominee for gender equality and family minister, is embroiled in controversy over 'clinging to her proportional representative seat and unfair practices.' Despite the Cheong Wa Dae replacing its policy chief in an attempt to halt the decline in President Lee's approval ratings, ruling party members lament, 'Why did they carry out such a reshuffle?' President Lee's approval rating began dipping into the 30% range in ARS (automated response surveys) last month. In telephone interviews, it barely reached 40% in the latest Gallup Korea poll. Kim Hyun-ji, former head of the presidential office's personal secretary office who was dubbed 'the master of all personnel matters,' has also been 'summoned.' The controversy began with a pre-recorded discussion among panelists on a YouTube channel affiliated with a conservative broadcaster. During a critique of the reshuffle, a panelist who previously served as a standing deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea remarked, 'Does the presidential office even have a personnel line? Isn't the personnel line Kim Hyun-ji?' Another panelist responded, 'If you say that, this show will be canceled.' As the fallout grew, the YouTube channel posted, 'Upon verification, Cho Seong-joo, the senior secretary for personnel, was confirmed to be in charge of major personnel matters in the presidential office. We apologize for conveying incorrect information.' The individual who made the remark later explained, 'It was a joke.' If ruling party lawmakers are asked who the presidential office's senior secretary for personnel is, many would likely struggle to answer. Some might still believe it is Kim Hyun-ji. Although Kang Hoon-sik, the chief of staff, chairs the presidential office's personnel committee, many believe the 'door-knob power' of Senior Secretary Kim holds greater influence. From the Cheong Wa Dae's perspective, this reshuffle has completely unraveled. Kim Seung-won, a former co-representative of the 'group of lawmakers seeking dismissal of indictments against President Lee Jae Myung' and a key figure in pushing for the abolition of the prosecution—a long-standing goal of the pro-Roh faction—was intended to both advance President Lee's desired dismissal of indictments and appease the pro-Roh camp, which criticized the 'New Lee Jae Myung' administration for its lukewarm stance on prosecutorial reform. However, suspicions about Kim's 'sister involved in entertainment establishments,' revelations that a new drug candidate he promoted caused lab mice to die, and the fact that a listed company which invested hundreds of billions of won in the pharmaceutical company is undergoing delisting procedures have complicated the situation. If the Cheong Wa Dae insists on pushing the 'Kim Seung-won card,' it must brace for severe backlash. When President Lee pledged to 'broaden the talent pool and expand the playing field' to reach out to broader constituencies, Rhyu Si-min criticized it as a 'dangerous experiment destined to fail' and noted that the Lee Jae Myung government, now in its first year, bore an astonishing resemblance to the Yoon Suk-yeol administration. This pressure ultimately worked. In this reshuffle, President Lee appointed Lee Hae-min, a lawmaker from the Rebuilding Korea Party, as the presidential AI chief, and offered a presidential political advisory role to former Gyeongnam Gov. Kim Kyoung-soo. Had Yong Hye-in, the gender equality minister nominee, resigned from her proportional representative seat as customary, the position would have been passed to someone from the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation—a figure reportedly close to Rhyu Si-min. The August 30 reshuffle signaled a shift from expanding the playing field to focusing on consolidating internal alliances within the pro-Lee camp. For this reason, the reshuffle has become a catalyst for further declines in approval ratings. The 'Kim Hyun-ji personnel line controversy,' sparked by a broadcast mishap, is not just a one-off incident. While Kim Hyun-ji bears the brunt of criticism, the core issue lies in doubts about whether the Lee Jae Myung administration's personnel system and political functions are operating effectively. Questions arise: Did the Cheong Wa Dae know about the 'broker sister' behind Kim Seung-won? Did they anticipate Yong Hye-in's insistence on retaining her proportional seat? If the administration pushes forward with the 'special counsel bill to investigate alleged fabricated indictments' under these circumstances, some ruling party figures worry that President Lee's approval rating could drop below 20%.