"Personnel Line Is Hyunji Kim"... Deputy Chief Kim Hyunji Reported for Abuse of Power

Calls for Investigation into Alleged Intervention in Appointments Following Remarks Made During Broadcast

Hyunji Kim, the First Deputy Chief of Staff at the Presidential Office, has been reported to the police over allegations of involvement in personnel appointments at the Blue House.

In October last year, Hyunji Kim, Chief of the First Presidential Office, attended the senior secretaries meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

The Citizens’ Committee for People’s Livelihood Measures (hereinafter referred to as the Committee) announced on the 5th that it had filed a report with the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency against Chief Kim on charges including abuse of power.

The Committee called for an investigation into whether Chief Kim intervened in appointments, citing a remark made by Yongjoo Seo, director of Mak Politics and Society Research Institute and former full-time deputy spokesperson for the Democratic Party of Korea, during a YouTube broadcast. Seo said, "The personnel line is Hyunji Kim," which the Committee believes amounts to grounds for investigation. The Committee also urged that, if the statement is true, Chief Kim may have been deeply involved in personnel matters concerning the Blue House and cabinet members, exceeding the normal scope of her work as the First Deputy Chief of Staff. They called on authorities to look into the matter.

The controversial remark was made during a media company’s YouTube broadcast on the morning of the 4th. At the time, Director Seo said, "The political affairs team probably needs to be changed. The Blue House political affairs team should reconsider some things." When another panelist brought up the 'personnel team,' Seo replied, "There is a personnel team? The personnel team is Hyunji Kim."

As the controversy grew, Director Seo explained through Facebook on the same day, "I am surprised that what I said jokingly has been delivered in a way contrary to my intention," and added, "I regret that my words could have caused misunderstandings, contrary to what I intended."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.