Lim Kwanghyun tasked with reviving approval ratings... 'Three key challenges': real estate, ruling camp unity, personnel overhaul

Lee taps policy-focused chief of staff as approval rating falls to the 30% range
Restore momentum in state affairs through results on people's livelihoods
Coordinate with Ha Junkyung to resolve confusion over real estate policies
Leadership teste

With President Lee Jae-myung's approval rating for his handling of state affairs falling to the mid-30% range, he has chosen a “policy-execution-oriented” chief of staff as a way to overcome the crisis. The new Presidential Chief of Staff, Lim Kwang-hyun, faces a daunting list of challenges: resolving confusion over public livelihood policies, including real estate; mending rifts within the ruling camp and fostering national unity; and overhauling the Blue House personnel system. The appointment is intended to turn public sentiment around through tangible achievements in state affairs, but all of these major challenges are difficult to address through administrative capabilities alone, making Lim's political coordination skills and inclusive leadership essential.

According to the Blue House, Lim will lead the second Presidential Office of the Lee Jae-myung administration starting October 15. The appointment comes 23 days after former Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik offered to resign. Although there was a precedent under the Lee Myung-bak administration, when then-National Tax Service Commissioner Baek Yong-ho was appointed as policy chief, this is the first time a sitting National Tax Service commissioner has been appointed presidential chief of staff. Lee's choice of Lim, who achieved results in collecting large tax arrears while serving as National Tax Service commissioner, is seen as a sign of his determination to restore momentum to his administration by prioritizing policy implementation over political coordination. At a briefing on his appointment the previous day, Lim said, “My duty is to make changes in people's lives that they can truly feel,” adding, “I will devote all my energy to achieving results that improve people's livelihoods.”

National Tax Service Commissioner Lim Kwang-hyun, appointed as the new presidential chief of staff, delivers remarks at a press conference at the Blue House on the 14th, introduced by his predecessor, Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik. Oct. 14, 2026. Yonhap News

Former economic official to coordinate with policy chief Ha Joon-kyung on real estate policy confusion

The most urgent task is to reduce confusion over policies affecting people's livelihoods, including real estate, and deliver tangible results. In a survey released on October 14 by the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI), 34.9% of respondents viewed Lee's handling of state affairs positively, down 3.6 percentage points from the previous survey. A survey released by Realmeter on October 12 also found that his approval rating had fallen to 35.2%, marking a second consecutive week of decline. Analysts say the decline reflects a combination of factors, including controversies over appointments, instability in the real estate market, and diplomatic and security issues. (For more details, see the website of the National Election Survey Deliberation Commission.)

Coordination between Lim and policy chief Ha Joon-kyung, who was appointed on October 1, has become especially important. While Ha, an economist, is responsible for designing and coordinating policies, Lim must reconcile differences among government ministries and monitor implementation. Above all, amid continued instability in housing prices and the monthly and lump-sum rental markets in the Seoul metropolitan area, the immediate priority is to ensure consistency across real estate policies, including expanding housing supply, regulating loans, and taxation.

Lim must coordinate policies across relevant ministries to ensure they are implemented consistently on the ground. He also needs to deliver more concrete and visible results in areas directly affecting people's lives, including reducing inequality, creating jobs, and stabilizing housing.

Mending ruling camp rifts, fostering national unity and speaking frankly to the president...Concerns over political clout

Another key task is resolving internal divisions within the ruling camp and stabilizing relations between the ruling party and the Blue House. As disagreements within the ruling camp over recent issues, including prosecution reform and the appointment of the head of the Serious Crimes Investigation Agency, have come to the fore, Lee directly criticized hard-liners through social media, deepening divisions among his supporters. Lim is expected to closely align Lee's governing philosophy with the ruling party's legislative strategy and mediate disputes so they do not erode the administration's momentum.

The Democratic Party of Korea is counting on Lim's experience in the National Assembly. In a statement the previous day, chief spokesperson Park Seong-jun said, “Having experience in both the National Assembly and the government, he is the right person to accelerate achievements in state affairs through cooperation among the ruling party, the government, and the Blue House.” He added, “We will support the administration's work on the basis of solid ties between the ruling party and the Blue House.”

However, some are concerned that Lim may lack the political clout of Kang, a three-term lawmaker, given that Lim served as a member of the National Assembly for only a little over a year. His relatively weak factional ties may give him an advantage by leaving him comparatively free of internal conflicts in the ruling camp, but it remains to be seen whether he can mediate issues involving sharply divided political interests. He will also need to work to foster national unity by broadening cooperation beyond his staunch supporters to include moderates and opposition parties.

Another crucial question is whether Lim can convey public sentiment to the president candidly. Democratic Party lawmaker Park Ji-won welcomed the appointment but advised that Lim must sometimes be able to tell the president, “That is not quite right, Your Excellency.” Lim will need to address concerns that an appointment intended to speed up policy implementation could instead concentrate power in the president's hands and weaken the advisory team’s ability to provide checks and coordination.

Chief Presidential Secretary Kang Hoonsik introduces Lim Kwanghyun, the newly appointed commissioner of the National Tax Service, at the press briefing room in the Blue House on October 14, 2026. Yonhap News Agency

Overhauling Blue House personnel system...Controversy over patronage appointments a liability

Restoring trust in the Blue House, shaken by a series of failed appointments, is also urgent. Former Chief of Staff Kang offered to resign, taking responsibility for the successive withdrawals of ministerial nominees Yong Hye-in and Kim Seung-won, and stepped down 23 days later. Lim must overhaul the personnel system, from identifying candidates and vetting them to making final appointments. Other challenges include smoothly completing key appointments to fill the vacant positions of justice minister, chief of the Public Prosecution Office, and National Police Agency commissioner general, as well as renewing the organization through a reshuffle of Blue House aides.

Lim himself is also not free from controversy over appointments involving his family. His spouse, Lee Kyung-eun, took up her post as consul general in Houston in March, while his brother-in-law, lawyer Lee Seung-yup, has represented Lee in cases involving the Daejang-dong development project, alleged violations of the Public Official Election Act, and alleged remittances to North Korea. The opposition has linked these matters and alleged that Lim received a patronage appointment as a result of his in-laws' connections. People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyuk criticized Lee, saying, “The president takes meticulous care of even his family's interests when it comes to his own lawyers.” People Power Party lawmaker Ahn Cheol-soo also called it “the ultimate example of a patronage appointment for the Daejang-dong family.”

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