Reorganization of Over 80 Personnel Including Secretaries…Dismissals Authorized as of the 16th

Since President Lee Jae-myung took office, it has been confirmed that the presidential office has dismissed all of the 80 so-called "special employees" appointed during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration as of the 16th.

On the 17th, media outlet News Tomato reported that following the presidential office's authorization of the resignation of seven secretaries on the 13th, they also officially approved the dismissal of over 80 special employees who submitted their resignations on the 16th.

According to reports, one official who worked in the presidential office during the Yoon Suk-yeol administration stated, "All special employees were dismissed in two rounds on the 13th and the 16th."

Currently, the presidential office is allocated a total of 443 positions according to presidential decree. The presidential office has emphasized that, as it started government operations immediately without a transition committee, the initial burden of organizational restructuring and personnel verification was substantial. Among these, the fact that special employees appointed by the Yoon administration did not submit their resignations for an extended period and were not attending work contributed to the operational burden, as explained by the presidential office.

"Not attending work while not resigning"… Employee collapsed due to work overload

Previously, on the 12th, spokesperson Kang Yu-jung stated in a regular briefing, "In the situation where the new government started without a transition committee, the reality is that there is an insufficient amount of personnel and time for personnel verification."

At that time, the presidential office remarked, "The over 80 special employees of the Yoon administration have not been attending work and did not express their intent to resign, making it difficult to follow formal procedures."

In reality, the burden of personnel due to work overload left considerable aftereffects. On the 11th, an employee belonging to the presidential office lost consciousness while working and was urgently transported to a hospital.

The affected employee was reportedly responsible for personnel verification tasks, and President Lee Jae-myung expressed on his social media the next day, "I feel a heavy sense of responsibility along with sadness" and emphasized, "While the mission as a public official is important, health and safety come first."

"Signal for clearing internal strife"… Full-scale organizational reformation underway in the presidential office

This dismissal action is significant not only as a simple personnel clean-up but also as a separation from the personnel system of the Yoon administration and an organizational reformation, further serving as a signal for 'clearing internal strife'.

A presidential office official explained, "It was urgent to resolve unnecessary overlaps in personnel and enhance the efficiency of organizational operations based on actual working personnel," adding, "With the dismissal procedures completed, the functions and personnel structure of the presidential office will be practically aligned with the principles of the Lee Jae-myung administration."

Meanwhile, it is reported that the presidential office is considering additional organizational restructuring, including the reallocation of political and planning functions following the clean-up of special employees.

Image source: Presidential Office, Yongsan Presidential Office / News1, News1