With the local elections and National Assembly by-elections set for June, resignations among aides, including the presidential office's political affairs line, are coming one after another. Because these are elections held early in an administration, they can try to capitalize on the "former Blue House" effect, but they also carry political risk as they will serve as an interim evaluation of the Lee Jae-myung administration.
According to the ruling camp on the 20th, Lee Sun-ho, secretary for self-governing development under the presidential office's senior secretary for civil affairs, recently submitted his resignation to run for Ulsan mayor. He will leave his post on the 25th of this month and begin full-fledged election preparations. It has been about eight months since he was tapped as the Lee Jae-myung administration's first secretary for self-governing development. He has overseen matters related to local government decentralization and balanced development. The timing overlaps with President Lee Jae-myung's "Ulsan town hall meeting" scheduled for the 23rd.
Seo Jeong-wan, an administrative officer in the secretary office for self-governing development and formerly of the Democracy Research Institute, also expressed intent to resign to run in Hanam, Gyeonggi Province. A day earlier, Kim Byung-wook, the secretary for political affairs and former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker, said he would step down to run for Seongnam mayor in Gyeonggi Province. For Kim's successor, former Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Ko Yong-jin, among others, is being mentioned.
Kim Nam-joon, the presidential office Spokesperson known as the president's confidant, is preparing to run in the Incheon Gyeyang-B by-election, the district President Lee represented as a lawmaker. In addition, Bae Jin-gyo, secretary for public listening, is expected to run for Incheon mayor; Jin Seok-beom, senior administrative officer in the health and welfare secretary office, for Hwaseong mayor in Gyeonggi Province; Kim Gwang, an administrative officer in the self-governing development secretary office, for Gyeyang district chief in Incheon; and Seong Jun-hu, an administrative officer in the national integration secretary office, for Imsil county chief in North Jeolla Province.
The term of office for new senior secretary for political affairs Hong Ik-pyo, successor to former senior secretary Woo Sang-ho, also begins on the 20th. Woo, who hails from Cheorwon in Gangwon Province, is preparing to run for Gangwon governor. Prospects are mixed for presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik's bid. Kang served three terms as a lawmaker in Asan-B, South Chungcheong Province. He is being mentioned as a potential first head of a unified Daejeon–South Chungcheong, the subject of the administration's administrative integration talks. The idea is that a heavyweight figure is needed for a sweeping local election victory. However, as a key aide to the president, there is also a possibility he will not run in this election and will continue in his post in the second-term presidential office.