President faces another setback as chief of staff offers to resign

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign in Seoul on Monday, taking responsibility for bungled Cabinet nominations that intensified criticism of President Lee Jae Myung’s personnel vetting. Lee has not decided whether to accept the resignation and is expected to wait until after his trip to New York and Mexico. The move comes after successive nominee withdrawals and growing opposition pressure.

Two of the six Cabinet nominees Lee named in an Aug. 30 reshuffle withdrew their nominations.

Rep. Yong Hye-in withdrew her candidacy for gender equality and family minister on Sept. 13 before her confirmation hearing.

Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination for justice minister on Saturday after controversy over influence-peddling allegations involving a pharmaceutical company.

Published Sep 21, 2026 1:28 pm KST

Updated Sep 21, 2026 6:32 pm KST

2 of Cheong Wa Dae's top 3 posts could be left vacant if Lee accepts resignation

President Lee Jae Myung is accompanied by chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik for a meeting with senior aides at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, Sept. 3. Yonhap.

Presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign, Monday, taking responsibility for a string of bungled Cabinet nominations that has fueled criticism of President Lee Jae Myung’s personnel vetting system.

If Lee accepts Kang’s resignation, two of Cheong Wa Dae’s top three secretary-level posts — chief of staff, policy chief and national security adviser — would be vacant at the same time, after former policy chief Kim Yong-beom stepped down earlier this month amid criticism over controversial financial products and tax policies. Kang's absence would deal another blow to the president as he has played key roles in diplomacy and economy as Lee's closest aide.

Kang conveyed his intention to step down to Lee earlier in the day, senior presidential secretary for public relations Sung Ki-hong said during a briefing.

A Cheong Wa Dae official said that during Friday's press conference, the president had said multiple times that his own shortcomings had contributed to negative public views of his administration.

"As chief of staff, Kang tendered his resignation to take overall responsibility," the official said.

At a meeting with senior aides shortly after Sung's briefing, Lee said he has not decided whether to accept the resignation.

"Cheong Wa Dae officials have been working hard. Some of them have health problems as they work day and night. My chief of staff is moving to call it a day," Lee said during the meeting.

As Lee began a weeklong diplomatic trip for the U.N. General Assembly in New York and a state visit to Mexico, he is not likely to make a decision until after returning on Sept. 27.

Kang's offer to step down is widely seen as a response to the successive withdrawals of minister nominees and heightened public criticism of the nominations.

Rep. Yong Hye-in, nominated for gender equality and family minister, withdrew her candidacy on Sept. 13, even before her confirmation hearing took place, amid questions over her eligibility for the Cabinet post.

Kim Seung-won withdrew his nomination for justice minister on Saturday following controversy over influence-peddling allegations involving a pharmaceutical company.

Their departures brought to five the number of ministerial nominees who have failed to join the Cabinet since the Lee administration took office in June last year.

The Lee government accordingly has faced growing pressure to overhaul its personnel selection and screening process.

As Kang has chaired Cheong Wa Dae’s personnel committee, overseeing the process for appointing minister-level officials, the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) has demanded accountability from Kang.

The PPP has also raised allegations that other figures close to Lee, including first deputy chief of staff Kim Hyun-ji and former Democratic Party of Korea official Jeong Jin-sang, were involved in personnel decisions, although no evidence establishing their involvement has been known.

Recognizing Kang's resignation offer and negative public sentiment over the personnel issues, Lee pledged to pay closer attention to public expectations as he reflected on the mandate given to his administration.

“I am once again reflecting on what the people, as the sovereign, intended when they created this government,” Lee said. “I will think more deeply about what the people need most at this time and take a more humble approach in carefully managing state affairs.”

总统幕僚长姜勋植周一在首尔主动提出辞职，承认内阁提名失误导致外界对李在明总统的人事审查能力提出质疑。李在明尚未决定是否接受姜勋植的辞呈，预计他将在结束纽约和墨西哥之行后再做决定。此前，多名内阁候选人相继退出，反对派压力也日益增大。

李显龙在8月30日内阁改组中提名的六名内阁候选人中，有两名撤回了提名。

9月13日，在确认听证会之前，众议员杨惠仁撤回了她竞选性别平等和家庭部长的资格。

金承元周六撤回了其担任法务部长的提名，此前他因涉嫌与一家制药公司进行权钱交易而引发争议。

发布于2026年9月21日下午1:28（韩国标准时间）

更新于2026年9月21日韩国时间下午6:32

如果李接受辞呈，青瓦台前三大职位中的两个可能会空缺。

9月3日，韩国总统李在明在幕僚长姜勋植的陪同下，在首尔青瓦台与高级幕僚举行会议。（韩联社）

周一，总统幕僚长姜勋植提出辞职，承认一系列内阁提名失误导致外界对李在明总统的人事审查制度提出批评。

如果李明博接受康的辞呈，青瓦台三大秘书级职位中的两个——幕僚长、政策室长和国家安全顾问——将同时空缺。此前，政策室长金容范因备受争议的金融产品和税收政策而于本月初辞职。康的离任对总统而言无疑是又一次打击，因为他作为李明博最亲密的助手，在外交和经济领域都发挥了关键作用。

总统府公共关系高级秘书成基洪在新闻发布会上表示，康京和当天早些时候已向李明博表达了辞职意愿。

青瓦台一位官员表示，总统在周五的新闻发布会上多次表示，他自身的不足导致了公众对其政府的负面看法。

“作为幕僚长，康已递交辞呈，以承担全面责任，”该官员表示。

在宋某汇报情况后不久，李在与高级助手的一次会议上表示，他尚未决定是否接受宋某的辞呈。

李在会上说：“青瓦台官员们一直非常努力工作。他们中有些人因为日夜工作而出现了健康问题。我的幕僚长正在考虑退休。”

李登辉开始了为期一周的外交访问，他将前往纽约出席联合国大会并对墨西哥进行国事访问，预计他要到9月27日回国后才会做出决定。

康的辞职提议被广泛认为是对部长提名人接连撤回以及公众对提名人选日益高涨的批评的回应。

被提名为性别平等和家庭部长的议员杨惠仁，在9月13日撤回了她的候选资格，甚至在确认听证会举行之前就撤回了她的候选资格，原因是人们对她担任内阁职务的资格提出了质疑。

周六，金承元因涉嫌与一家制药公司进行权钱交易而引发争议，随后撤回了其法务部长的提名。

他们的离任使得自李光耀政府去年6月上台以来，未能加入内阁的部长级提名人人数达到5人。

因此，李氏政府面临着越来越大的压力，需要彻底改革其人事选拔和审查程序。

由于康明彦担任青瓦台人事委员会主席，负责部长级官员的任命过程，主要反对党国民力量党（PPP）要求康明彦承担责任。

人民进步党还指控李在镕的其他亲信，包括第一副幕僚长金贤智和前民主党官员郑镇相，也参与了人事决策，但目前尚无证据证实他们参与其中。

鉴于康建中提出的辞职请求以及公众对人事问题的负面情绪，李健熙承诺在反思其政府所肩负的使命时，将更加关注公众的期望。

李显龙说：“我再次反思人民作为主权者建立本届政府的初衷。我将更深入地思考人民此刻最需要什么，并以更加谦逊的态度谨慎处理国家事务。”