Lee Yeon-hee, strategic planning chairperson of the Democratic Party of Korea, appeared on KBS on the 12th and, regarding the recruitment of Ha Jung-woo, senior presidential secretary for AI future planning at the Blue House, for the Busan Buk-gu Gap National Assembly by-election, said, "I think we have crossed 80% of the ridge," adding, "Around next week, party leader Jung Chung-rae will meet (Senior Secretary Ha) and strongly request (that he run)." Earlier, President Lee Jae-myung expressed a negative view on Ha's potential run, saying to Ha, "You must not be swayed."
On this day, Chairperson Lee appeared on KBS1's Sunday Diagnosis Live. The anchor asked, "President Lee told Senior Secretary Ha, 'You must not be swayed.' How should we see that? Is he really telling him not to go, or was he boosting him?"
In response, Chairperson Lee said, "From our party's standpoint, (Senior Secretary Ha) is a valuable talent, so the secretary-general and several multiple-term senior lawmakers have already met Ha Jung-woo several times to make the offer." Lee added, "At first, (Senior Secretary Ha) firmly expressed opposition, but the party worked hard to persuade him, and we have moved to a point where he is accepting it," and said, "Going forward, the party leader will likely meet him around next week to make a strong request."
Chairperson Lee said, "In my personal judgment, I think we may have crossed about 80% of the ridge." Lee continued, "After persuading Ha Jung-woo first, in the end there should be a process of persuading the president that he is talent the party needs."
Earlier, on the 9th at the National Economic Advisory Council, President Lee told Senior Secretary Ha, "HaGPT (Ha's nickname), there is a lot to do these days, but it seems like someone is approaching you," and said, "You must not be swayed just because someone approaches you." Senior Secretary Ha replied, "Exactly," adding, "I will focus on my work."
Born in 1977, Senior Secretary Ha is the youngest among the Blue House senior aides, most of whom are in their 50s to 60s. After graduating from Seoul National University with a degree in computer engineering, he earned a doctorate from the same university's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined Naver Labs in 2015, authored several papers, and took part in developing services such as a music recommendation service and an AI speaker. He also led the development of Korea's first large language model (LLM), "HyperCLOVA," as head of Naver AI Lab. He was appointed this administration's AI senior secretary in June last year.
Busan Buk-gu Gap is a district where lawmaker Chun Jae-soo served three terms. As Chun was confirmed as the Democratic Party of Korea's candidate for Busan mayor, the district became subject to a by-election. Senior Secretary Ha and former lawmaker Chun are also known to be seniors and juniors from Busan Gudeok High School.