First Lee aide exits to run in June election, signaling reshuffle
The June 3 local elections are beginning to reshape the presidential office staff, as senior secretary for political affairs Woo Sang-ho became the first to step down to declare his candidacy.
Lee Kyu-youn, senior presidential secretary for public relations and communication, announced Sunday that Hong Ihk-pyo, formerly floor leader of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea, has been appointed to succeed Woo.
A three-term lawmaker, Hong worked closely with President Lee Jae Myung when Lee served as the Democratic Party chair, as floor leader from September 2023 to May 2024.
Hong entered politics after winning a seat in the 2012 general election and won three consecutive terms. Hong has also served as the party's policy chief and headed the party's Institute for Democracy think tank.
"With a rational and even-tempered disposition, he has consistently practiced a politics of tolerance and cooperation, during his time as a lawmaker, under the conviction that conflict and confrontation should be resolved through compromise and consensus," Lee Kyu-yeon said of Hong during a press briefing.
Hong's term as senior secretary for political affairs, a position that serves as a bridge between the president and the National Assembly, is to begin Tuesday.
Woo, a four-term lawmaker from Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, has become the first of the core aides in Cheong Wa Dae to leave to run in local elections, as he seeks the Gangwon Province governorship.
Further changes within Cheong Wa Dae's political affairs staff are also being discussed.
Kim Byung-wook, a presidential political affairs secretary, has been floated as a potential candidate in the Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, mayoral race, according to political circles.
The Korea Herald learned from sources that a small pool of candidates — including former Democratic Party Rep. Koh Yong-jin — is being reviewed as a possible successor should Kim step down.
Asked about speculation surrounding the appointment of a new political affairs secretary, Lee Kyu-youn said it was premature to confirm any names.
"It is difficult to say that anything being discussed at this stage has been finalized," Lee said. "If several members of the office of the senior secretary for political affairs were to leave at the same time, it could hinder its operations. Due to this reason, I understand that the matter is being reviewed carefully and over time."
Asked whether any other presidential aides — including administrative officers — have stepped down to prepare election bids aside from Woo, Lee said no others had so far.
"To the best of my knowledge, there are none at this point other than senior secretary Woo Sang-ho," Lee told reporters. "As for who may leave, at what scale and at what timing, that is something we will have to watch going forward."
Attention is also turning to presidential spokesperson Kim Nam-joon, widely regarded as one of President Lee's closest confidants, who is widely expected to run in a by-election in Incheon's Gyeyang B district. The constituency, which the president previously represented as a lawmaker, has been vacant since his election victory in June 2025.
Prospects for a bid by presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik remain mixed. Kang, a three-term lawmaker from Asan, South Chungcheong Province, had earlier been floated as a potential candidate for mayor of a proposed integrated Daejeon-South Chungcheong Province municipality. However, recent speculation suggests he may opt out of the race.
The Public Official Election Act requires any public officeholder seeking another elected office to resign at least 90 days before the election is held, meaning March 5 for the upcoming local elections. Against that backdrop, any additional departures from Cheong Wa Dae for electoral bids are expected to become clear between mid-January and early March.
Rep. Park Sung-hoon, senior spokesperson of the People Power Party, said Saturday that around 10 staff members in the presidential office could soon resign for election bids, accusing Cheong Wa Dae of devolving into what he called "a revolving-door factory for election-bound career-building."
"When Cheong Wa Dae aides tasked with overseeing state affairs put their work on the back burner and have their minds on elections instead, there is no way the government can function properly," Park said.
The ruling party defended such moves.
"The transfer of experience in central government to local governments is not a ‘revolving door,' but a virtuous cycle of professional expertise that expands the country's overall governing capacity," Democratic Party spokesperson Park Kyung-mee said.
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