President Lee Jae-myung on the 18th appointed Hong Ik-pyo, 58, a former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, to succeed Woo Sang-ho as senior presidential secretary for political affairs. Following Woo, who is expected to submit his resignation soon to run for Gangwon governor, Hong, a senior ruling-bloc figure and policy expert, will take on the role of bridge between Cheong Wa Dae and the government. A three-term lawmaker in the 19th, 20th and 21st National Assemblies, Hong served as the Democratic Party of Korea floor leader, policy committee chair, chief spokesperson and head of the Democratic Research Institute.
At a Cheong Wa Dae briefing that day, presidential senior secretary for public affairs Lee Kyu-yeon said, "Former lawmaker Hong Ik-pyo has a reasonable and amicable disposition, and during his time as a National Assembly member, under the belief that conflicts and confrontations should be resolved through compromise and consultation, he has consistently practiced politics of tolerance and collaboration," adding, "Cheong Wa Dae will maintain the cooperative governance line so there is no gap in political affairs going forward," explaining the background of the appointment.
Born in Seoul, the new senior secretary entered the National Assembly by winning the 2012 general election in Seongdong B district in Seoul after serving as Policy Advisor to the Minister at the Ministry of Unification, among other posts. He went on to win three consecutive terms in the same district. In 2023, when President Lee was party leader, he served as the party's floor leader. In the following year's 22nd general election, he ran in Seocho B in Seoul, considered a tough district for the Democratic Party of Korea, but lost.
The new senior secretary's term begins on the 20th. The appointment comes about six months before the Lee Jae-myung administration's first local elections, and a sweeping reshuffle of the first-term aides is expected soon. Kim Byung-wook, a member of the "Group of Seven," a circle of close aides dating back to Lee's tenure as Seongnam mayor, and currently the presidential secretary for political affairs, is also expected to submit his resignation within the month to run for Seongnam mayor in Gyeonggi. However, the senior secretary said, "In consideration of the loss of political functions, we are reviewing other appointments with a bit more time."