hankyoreh

By Ahn Chang-hyun and Park Byong-su, staff reporters

Senior presidential secretary for national security Kim Tae-hyo (photo) became the first casualty of the fallout from the covert pushing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) with Japan. President Lee Myung-bak accepted Kim’s resignation on July 5. Uncharacteristically, the Blue House has acted fairly swiftly in addressing the uproar caused by the attempted pact with Japan.

Blue House spokesman Park Jeong-ha told the media on July 5 about Kim’s sudden resignation and the plan to accept it. The Blue House moved right away, despite it saying the previous day that it was in the midst of an internal investigation, the results of which would come out two or three days later. Many were surprised because there were expectations that MB would protect Kim, in whom he had absolute confidence. Since the administration took power in 2008, Kim has shared Lee’s sorrows and joys, leading the Blue House’s hard line on North Korea.

It appears the worsening of public opinion was a major factor in Lee’s decision to shuffle out Kim. The Blue House and the Foreign Ministry engaged in mudslinging, with the Foreign Ministry trying to pass off responsibility by claiming it concluded the deal because it was ordered to do so by the Blue House, the situation had gotten to the point where nobody could tell where it was heading.

Senior press secretary Choe Geum-nak said they were originally planning to announce the results of the internal investigation around Friday and then conduct disciplinary personnel moves, but Kim offered to resign first with the intention of lessening the burden on national administration. This is to say Lee, giving up a precious thing for the greater good, cut off his own hands and feet for the sake of a lame duck situation.

The Blue House is saying that unlike with Kim, Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan will remain in his post. Despite the fact that the Blue House and the Foreign Ministry were the two axes of this incident, it will be difficult to put responsibility onto the Foreign Ministry. A high-ranking Blue House official said they are looking into the process in which the agreement was pushed, but Foreign Minister Kim was not directly involved in that process, as he was with Lee on his trip to South America. He said it seemed the minister’s job was safe.

Foreign Ministry officials also think Kim won’t be placed on the chopping block. Until just the day before, the Foreign Ministry was stricken with fear over how far and wide the punishments would be, but the atmosphere changed drastically after Kim Tae-hyo’s resignation. One official said as early as the day before, many were wondering if Foreign Minister Kim would be able to attend the ASEAN Regional Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia next week, but now the ministry is pushing his attendance. He said since it’s a major international meeting, it was highly likely Kim would be able to attend following talks with the National Assembly.

There are doubts as to whether this matter will be resolved by Kim’s resignation alone. No matter how powerful Kim was in the administration, the public criticism surrounding this diplomatic disaster is too strong for it to be brought to an end with just the resignation of one vice minister level official. From the position of President Lee, if even the Foreign Minister is replaced, he’ll run into difficulties including parliamentary confirmation hearings and adjusting his foreign policy and security lineup, but the New Frontier Party may think it‘s enough. It’s also against common sense not to impugn responsibility on the minister over working-level ministry officials calling on the Blue House to take responsibility.

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