Cheong Wa Dae chief of staff Kim Woo Sik is stepping down. The fact he is being replaced is supposedly not in response to problems with the way he ran things, but the way he ran things has long been considered a problem. He was not doing a good job of counsel to the president, and it was obvious he was confused and unable to establish any clear direction. Therefore the changes should not stop at just replacing Kim. His departure should be used as an opportunity to engage in an review of the overall makeup and operations at the Office of the President.
The Participatory Government has always been unique in stressing the need for "systemized government operations," but the reality has been the direct opposite. As seen in the Russian oil field affair and the Haengdam Island development case the reports what went up the chain of command were inadequate, and there proved to be problems with the way the office pursued its goals. The same confusion exists in the rest of the ruling camp regarding president Roh Moo Hyun's comments about a coalition government and his Liberation Day address.
Now that better coordination between the ruling party, government ministries, and Cheong Wa Dae regarding the political agenda and government policy has become the pressing issue, the new chief of staff needs to be someone who knows how to make the work at hand get done smoothly. The principle of separation of government from ruling party should be maintained, but the process of reaching agreement between the party and Cheong Wa Dae has to be better systematized so that there is smoother coordination. No less important is that Kim's replacement is full of the political will to implement reform. As the president's term enters its second half it becomes ever more likely that the policy of reform falls behind and that even the will to make reform happen withers away. That is all the more reason the new chief of staff needs to be a reformer.
The makeup of the Office of the President needs major changes. There cannot be the same guesswork about the president's intentions or hurried quick-fixes of things the president has set in motion. The new people need to be individuals who can be straight with the president when they have to be. Much about whether the second half of the president's term is a success or failure will depend on how the Office of the President is organized and operated.
The Hankyoreh, 18 August 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] Make Cheong Wa Dae Run Smoothly |
