hankyoreh

Cho Tae-yong (left) poses for a photo with Kim Sung-han after the former was appointed as ambassador to the US at the presidential office in Seoul on June 10, 2022. (Yonhap)

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol sent shock waves with his abrupt de facto replacement of Kim Sung-han as director of the National Security Office on Wednesday — with less than a month left before a planned visit to the US and South Korea-US summit.

Coming on the 70th anniversary of the South Korea-US alliance, Yoon’s US visit as a guest of the state in late April is to be the first in 12 years. Analysts are predicting the national security advisor’s replacement just before such a large-scale diplomatic event will have considerable repercussions.

Kim announced his intent to resign at 5:03 pm on Wednesday, issuing a position statement in which he said, “I hope that the controversies owing to me will no longer cause trouble for diplomacy and governance.”

Less than an hour later at 5:55 pm, Yoon designated the currently serving South Korean ambassador to the US, Cho Tae-yong, as Kim’s successor.

Meeting with reporters, a senior official with the presidential office said, “President Yoon attempted to stop him, but Mr. Kim insisted [on his intent to resign].” The replacement came after Kim and the presidential office both dismissed speculation about his ouster as “contrary to the facts” just a day earlier.

According to sources, Yoon became aware around March 9 of an omission in the foreign affairs and national security team’s reporting on his upcoming US visit. At the time, Kim was coordinating Yoon’s five-day visit to Washington as a guest of the state.

The National Security Office accepted a proposal for the US to include a joint performance by K-pop group Blackpink and US singer Lady Gaga in Yoon’s schedule. During its efforts to coordinate the schedule, members of the National Security Office staff repeatedly failed to report on matters, incurring the distrust of both Yoon and the US, sources said.

Other omissions in reporting also reportedly occurred in connection with a women’s event to be attended by first lady Kim Keon-hee.

“President Yoon recently called Kim Sung-han on the carpet over how much of a mess the National Security Office has been,” a senior official with the presidential office told the Hankyoreh.

At a time when Yoon’s protocol secretary, Kim Il-bum, and foreign affairs secretary, Lee Moon-hee, had both been let go over the same matter, Kim’s prospects for holding on to his position were slim.

Some analysts suggested the abrupt replacement may also have had something to do with the discord between Kim Sung-han and Kim Tae-hyo, the National Security Office first deputy director — which has been no secret in diplomatic circles.

The two figures had reportedly been deeply divided over matters relating to South Korea-Japan relations, including the March 6 announcement of a “solution” for victims of forced labor mobilization and the agenda for the South Korea-Japan summit. Many in and around the presidential office suggested that Kim Tae-hyo was the one with the upper hand over Kim Sung-han.

With the latter’s departure as National Security Office director, observers are predicting setbacks for Yoon’s late April US visit and South Korea-US summit, as well as a trilateral summit with Japan to be held around a G7 meeting in Hiroshima this May. Analysts said the development could also impact negotiations on recent US legislation that is disadvantageous to South Korean companies, namely the CHIPS Ans Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act.

As though signaling his awareness of the risk of a vacuum, Yoon named Cho Tae-yong — who became the South Korean ambassador to the US last June — as the new director of the National Security Office. After serving as first vice minister of foreign affairs during the Park Geun-hye presidency in 2014, Cho worked concurrently as first deputy director of the National Security Office and secretary general of the National Security Council.

Yoon also faces the task of having to rebuild his foreign affairs and national security lineup less than a year into his presidency. With Kim’s resignation and the appointment of a new US ambassador coming just nine months into his term, a chain reaction of reshuffling appears inevitable.

With both Minister of Foreign Affairs Park Jin and Minister of Unification Kwon Young-se predicted as very likely to run in next year’s general elections, analysts are predicting they too may be replaced sometime after May.

By Kim Mi-na, staff reporter; Jung In-hwan, staff reporter; Bae Ji-hyun, staff reporter; Shin Hyeong-cheol, staff reporter

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