The Presidential Office's Public Service Discipline Secretary's Office said in a press release on the 26th that it dismissed a Grade-1 special appointment official affiliated with the Presidential Secretariat as a disciplinary measure. The secretary was identified as Lee Young-ho, the maritime affairs and fisheries secretary.
The Public Service Discipline Secretary's Office said, "We confirmed that a Grade-1 special appointment official affiliated with the Presidential Secretariat made solicitations that undermined fair performance of duties for another person's benefit and granted preferential access to the presidential office to a particular individual due to a personal relationship, and we processed a disciplinary dismissal," adding, "In connection with this, the presidential office instructed all staff members not to engage in solicitations or provide favors that undermine fair performance of duties."
It added, "Going forward, the presidential office plans to deal strictly with violations of laws by its staff, such as solicitations and providing favors."
Lee Young-ho, the dismissed secretary, previously served as a lawmaker in the 17th National Assembly (Gangjin and Wando in South Jeolla) and worked at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries for 15 years. The maritime affairs and fisheries secretary post was created under the Lee Jae-myung administration to handle the transfer of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to Busan and the development of the Arctic route.
The opposition criticized the dismissal, saying it showed a breakdown in discipline at the presidential office. People Power Party Spokesperson Cho Yong-sul said in a commentary, "Regarding the presidential office secretary's solicitations and preferential access, strict accountability must be pursued through a thorough investigation, not merely dismissal," noting, "This case is not a simple deviation but a serious incident in which a key figure in the presidential office used public power for private gain."