[Edaily Reporter Hwang Byeong Seo ] Following the replacement of six minister-level officials—including the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs and Minister of Finance and Economy—the government has embarked on a renewal effort by strengthening the Blue House’s staff. It filled the vacant position of Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning and appointed new figures to the roles of Vice Chair of the National Artificial Intelligence Strategy Committee, Special Presidential Advisor for Political Affairs, and the newly planned Advisor for Mega-Projects. However, Kim Yong-beom, Chief of the Blue House Policy Office—who has faced calls for accountability from the opposition regarding recent economic issues—was retained in his post, prompting criticism that the reshuffle amounted to a “scapegoat reshuffle.”

Kang Hoon-sik, Chief of Staff to the President, announced the appointments of Blue House staff members along with ministerial-level appointments on the 30th. Lee Hae-min, a member of the National Assembly from the Party for Innovation led by Cho Kuk and a former Google engineer, was nominated for the newly created position of Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning. Ha Jeong-woo, the former Senior Secretary for AI Future Planning who lost in the Busan Buk-gap by-election, was appointed as Vice Chair of the National AI Strategy Committee. Lee Won-ju, Director General of the Energy Transition Policy Bureau at the Ministry of Climate, Energy, and Environment, was nominated as the Advisor for the tentatively named “Mega-Projects,” while Kim Kyung-soo, former Chair of the Local Era Committee, was nominated as the President’s Special Advisor for Political Affairs.

As the scale of the economic cabinet reshuffle expanded, attention turned to whether the Blue House would also carry out a personnel shake-up; however, Kim Yong-beom, Chief of Staff for Policy, was excluded from this round of appointments. Chief of Staff Kim had previously been identified as a key figure who, alongside financial authorities, spearheaded the introduction of single-stock leveraged ETFs. In particular, as controversy over losses suffered by retail investors grew following the launch of these products, the opposition has been calling for Chief of Staff Kim and other heads of financial authorities to be held accountable.

Jeong Jeom-sik, floor leader of the People Power Party, posted on Facebook that day, criticizing the move: “They carried out a ‘cabinet reshuffle that merely cuts off the tail’ while leaving Kim Yong-beom, the Blue House Chief of Staff for Policy—who is responsible for failures in the economy and national security—and Jeong Dong-young, Minister of Unification, in their posts.” He added, “Leaving Chief of Staff Kim in his position is, in itself, a declaration of refusal to reform state affairs.” He further argued, “Retaining a Minister of Unification who sympathizes with Kim Jong-un’s ‘two-state theory’ is a declaration of negation of the Constitution.”

Na Kyung-won, a lawmaker from the People Power Party, held a press conference at the National Assembly that day and labeled Policy Chief Kim Yong-beom, Financial Supervisory Service Governor Lee Chan-jin, and Financial Services Commission Chairman Lee Eun-won as the “trio responsible for the public’s losses from ETFs,” demanding that they “resign immediately.”

Rep. Na stated, “I simply cannot dismiss the reasonable suspicion that the economic leadership, the head of financial supervision, and the market-leading giant—which received government approval for a system free from regulatory shackles—were entangled by invisible strings to push through this hasty implementation,” and “I will call those who have thrown public ethics aside like worn-out shoes and sacrificed 54 trillion won of the public’s money the ‘Three Culprits Behind the ETF Public Harm.’” Rep. Na emphasized, “If this series of circumstances is true, they must resign immediately,” adding, “A thorough investigation into the truth is necessary, including a National Assembly hearing and a parliamentary inquiry, as well as the appointment of a special prosecutor if necessary.”