In surprise move, Blue House senior secretary resigns instead of facing questioning

Presidential Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon (right) talks with Senior Secretary for State Affairs Yoo Min-bong (centre) and Senior Secretary for Political Affairs Cho Yoon-seon at a hearing of the National Assembly Steering Committee in connection with the case of leaked documents, Jan. 9. (by Lee Jeong-a, staff photographer)

Latest move in scandal over leaked documents could indicate a crisis of leadership inside the Blue House

A Blue House senior secretary resigned on Jan. 9 after refusing to appear before the National Assembly Steering Committee in connection with the allegations of a “secret circle” involved in state affairs.

The unprecedented “defiance resignation” by senior civil affairs secretary Kim Young-han, 58, is expected to have major repercussions, coming after a bipartisan agreement earlier that morning to have him present at the committee, as well as a direct order to appear by Blue House Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon, honoring the wishes of President Park Geun-hye.

Kim Young-han, senior civil affairs secretary

The surprise resignation could indicate a leadership crisis for Park’s Blue House, with a direct act of defiance by the senior secretary in charge of managing the havoc already wracking the presidential office after a civil affairs secretary leaked a Blue House document to the outside.

The day’s events in the Steering Committee began when the ruling and opposition parties, which had been unable to agree on whether Kim Young-han should appear up until the day before, finally reached a deal that morning to keep the number of questioners to a minimum. As the person in charge of the Blue House’s special inspection in connection with the leak of documents alleging interference in government operations by Park’s Chief of Staff when she was a second-term lawmaker, Chung Yoon-hoi, Kim was to be questioned by the opposition on allegations of pressuring and forcibly investigating individuals involved the leak.

What happened next was a shock. Kim Ki-choon ordered Kim Young-han to go before the committee, at which point the defiant Kim refused, declaring he would “rather resign” than go. A number of lawmakers raised questions about Kim’s absence when the committee’s meeting resumed in the afternoon, prompting Kim Ki-choon to respond, “I ordered him to appear, and now he is acting as though he cannot. If a public official does not comply with a demand by bipartisan agreement for him to appear at the National Assembly, or an order from the Chief of Staff, then I believe he should bear serious responsibility.”

When news of Kim Young-han’s resignation announcement broke, Kim Ki-choon said, “I plan to accept the senior civil affairs secretary’s resignation and discuss his dismissal [with President Park].”

The Chief of Staff also appeared before the Steering Committee in the morning to apologize in connection with the document furor. When asked his responsibility for the leak controversy, he replied, “As Chief of Staff, I feel a grave sense of responsibility for causing the public concern and drawing their criticism over inappropriate activities by secretary office employees, and I am very sorry.”

“I will not insist on holding on to my position, and I am prepared to step down at any time when my responsibilities have finished,” he continued.

But the afternoon’s surprise resignation looks likely to leave Kim and the Blue House facing even harsher criticisms than before. Kim in particular looks likely to face questions about his responsibility for a senior secretary’s act of open defiance that comes just a week after his remarks stressing the importance of “loyalty” in secretaries’ offices at a Jan. 2 New Year kickoff meeting.

“What is this thing we call ‘loyalty’?,” the Chief of Staff asked at the time.

The resignation was met with a frosty response on both sides of the aisle. Kim Jae-won, the committee’s secretary from the ruling Saenuri Party (NFP), called it “extremely dismaying.”

“A senior civil affairs secretary bears tremendous responsibility, and a public official should be someone who responds sincerely when there is a bipartisan agreement for him to come before the National Assembly, whatever his intentions regarding resignation,” Kim said.

New Politics Alliance for Democracy floor spokesperson Park Wan-ju took aim at the Blue House over the resignation.

“This shameful episode shows the public just how far the Blue House has crossed the line with its disregard for the National Assembly and how thoroughly broken the Blue House’s internal system is,” Park said.

“Chief of Staff Kim Ki-choon’s pledge to ‘fix discipline’ among Blue House workers was utterly trampled before the ink had even dried,” he added.

By Seok Jin-hwan, Blue House correspondent and Lee Seung-joon, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]