resigned to the secretary of the president, not the president
It is difficult to dispel allegations of ‘resignation the day before the national inspection’
Park Ji-won “I posted a 2nd and 3rd grade personnel plan.
The manager raised it once more… President Acceptance”
On the 27th, the National Intelligence Service dismissed it as a “health problem” while ‘internal conflicts’ were raised regarding the sudden resignation of Cho Sang-jun, the second-in-command of the National Intelligence Service. However, various speculations are being raised as there is no clear explanation for the unusual situation of expressing gratitude to the president without going through a report to the head of the National Intelligence Service the day before the audit.
In a press release on the same day, the National Intelligence Service said, “I expressed my resignation for personal reasons such as health problems.” The previous day, the National Assembly Intelligence Committee audit only explained that it was a ‘personal reason’, but this time it was specified as a ‘health problem’. On the way to work, President Yoon Seok-yeol also said, “I accepted my style (resignation) because it is an important position, so it would not be right for me to continue to carry out heavy work.” . A high-ranking government official said, “I was told that Cho was hospitalized.”
However, suspicions remain regarding the background of Cho’s resignation. As explained by the National Intelligence Service, even if there are health problems, it is difficult to erase doubts regarding the resignation of a public official who was recognized as a ‘specialist’ following more than 20 years of prosecutorial life. Cho, along with Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon, is considered one of President Yoon’s closest aides.
In particular, theories of internal conflict are raised over the fact that former chief of staff Cho expressed his resignation to Kim Kyu-hyeon, secretary of the Presidential Office for public service discipline, rather than to Kim Kyu-hyeon, director of the National Intelligence Service. It is analyzed that Cho and Director Kim had a disagreement over the internal personnel plan, but Cho resigned over health issues. Park Ji-won, former director of the National Intelligence Service, told CBS Radio on the same day, “The NIS needs to be hired at the second or third level, but it is said that former Director Cho raised his proposal to the Blue House (Presidential Office). However, the director who went abroad saw that it did not go the way he thought, so he uploaded it once more.” He insisted, “I was struggling in the presidential office, but still (they gave the head of the National Intelligence Service).” However, regarding the personnel conflict theory, Director Kim told the Seoul newspaper that “it is not true at all.”
Some observers speculate that the letter to the former head of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) may have been received due to personnel complaints due to the nature of the NIS, which undergoes severe personnel changes depending on the government. There are still speculations that he resigned due to personal abuse or drunk driving, which might be a problem in legal and moral standards.
Reporter Seo Yu-mi
