Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik Tenders Resignation to President Lee... Blue House Cites "Comprehensive Responsibility" (Comprehensive)

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, tendered his resignation to President Lee Jae-myung on the morning of September 21.

Sung Ki-hong, Senior Presidential Secretary for Public Relations and Communication at the Blue House, announced this at a press briefing at the Chunchugwan later that afternoon.

President Lee Jae-myung and Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik are entering the Senior Secretary Meeting at the Blue House on September 3, 2026. Photo by Yonhap News.

A Blue House official explained the background to Kang's resignation: “Last week, during a press conference, President Lee repeatedly stated that he takes responsibility for shortcomings in government performance, especially in light of public sentiment. As Chief of Staff, Kang expressed his intent to resign, taking comprehensive responsibility for supporting the President.”

At his seventh press conference since taking office on September 18, President Lee apologized for the decline in public approval ratings, stating, “It is all due to my own shortcomings.” In particular, when asked about personnel controversies, he responded, “We have systems in place and are making efforts, but it is never enough.”

This has led to the interpretation that Kang, who also serves as chair of the Blue House Personnel Committee, offered his resignation to take responsibility for the recent failure of successive ministerial nominees to pass the vetting process. However, the Blue House did not confirm whether his resignation was directly related to personnel issues.

It remains unknown whether President Lee will accept Kang’s resignation. If Kang’s resignation is accepted, the positions of two out of the Blue House’s three chief secretaries, including the recently vacated role of former policy chief Kim Yong-bum, will be left unfilled.

As President Lee is scheduled to depart for official visits to the United States and Mexico later today, it appears he will carefully consider whether and when to accept Kang’s resignation.

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