South Korean President Yoon has decided to re-establish the ”Office of Chief Civil Affairs.” Is its purpose to listen to the voices of the people? Or is it the opposite?

South Korean President Yoon Seok-yeol announced on the 7th that he would re-establish a Chief Civil Affairs Office in the presidential office. The head of the office, Chief Civil Affairs Secretary Kim Ju-hyun, is a former prosecutor.
One of the roles of the office is to "listen to public opinion." The ruling party that supports the Yoon administration, the People Power Party, suffered a major defeat in last month's general election. President Yoon has said that it is necessary to listen to the voices of the people, and
The government decided to revive the room, which it had previously abolished, but South Korean media point out that there is a different motive behind the room's re-establishment.
Yoon was elected president in March 2022 and will assume the 20th House of Representatives in May of the same year.
Yoon was inaugurated as the president of South Korea. On the 9th of this month, it has been two years since he took office. One of Yoon's campaign pledges in the presidential election was to abolish the Office of the Chief Civil Affairs Officer, who held enormous power in the presidential office. The office is responsible for handling public opinion and the people.
In addition to understanding emotions, the office was responsible for monitoring the activities of the prosecution and police, and constantly monitoring corruption among the president's relatives and high-ranking public officials.
"In the past, the Chief Civil Affairs Office, which took control of the police and the prosecution, has more than once or twice controlled political opponents and political opposition forces under the guise of legality, and has also conducted false investigations of the public under the guise of verifying public opinion," he said.
Yoon subsequently abolished the room as promised. The general election held on the 10th of last month was positioned as a mid-term evaluation of the Yoon administration, but the ruling party that supports the Yoon administration, the People Power Party, won 108 seats.
The main opposition Democratic Party won 175 seats, resulting in a major defeat for the People Power Party. The opposition parties were unable to reach the 200 seats required to pass a bill to amend the constitution or impeach the president.
Yoon's administration has been criticized as being "self-righteous." Following the major defeat in the general election, Yoon said, "I want everyone to carry out the public will that was revealed in this general election.
"I must accept this with humility. I will adopt a more humble and flexible attitude, communicate more closely, and listen to the will of the people," he declared.
As he works to rebuild his administration, Yoon announced on the 7th that he will revive the Office of the Chief Civil Affairs Officer in the presidential office.
He appointed Kim Ju-hyun, who, like himself, is a former prosecutor, as his secretary. Kim served as Minister of Justice and Deputy Chief of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office in the Park Geun-hye administration.
Yoon said he decided to re-establish the chamber, which he had previously abolished, because it had become weak in its function of listening to public opinion.
However, South Korean media pointed out a different aim. Public broadcaster KBS said, "There are also views that this is an attempt to strengthen influence over the investigation into the First Lady."
Regarding his wife, Kim Kun-hee, there are suspicions that she received a luxury designer bag from a Korean pastor living in the United States in September 2022 after President Yoon took office.
The government has a law banning public servants and their spouses from receiving money or gifts above a certain amount in connection with their duties, and suspicions of violating the law have been raised.
A video purporting to capture the entire incident was released on a YouTube channel. An investigative team has been set up at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, and on the 7th of this month, Prosecutor General Lee Won-seok said, "We will investigate the case based on evidence and law."
"We will investigate the matter promptly and strictly based on the reasons and take appropriate action," he said, emphasizing his intention to uncover the truth through the investigation.
Some have suggested that the real aim of re-establishing the office is to increase control over the police and prosecutors and prevent judicial risks. In response to such criticism, Yoon insisted that the office was "established for the people."
The Blue House has explained that the revived Chief Civil Affairs Office will not have the function of checking the prosecution or police, and Yoon has also said that if there are any judicial risks, he will have to explain and resolve them himself.
Meanwhile, according to the South Korean newspaper Hankyoreh, the civic group Solidarity for Participation in the Democratic People's Democratic Party said that the Civil Society Chief Office, which has the function of listening to public opinion, is currently vacant.
He criticized the government for reviving the Office of the Chief Civil Affairs Officer, saying, "Despite the fact that it is perfectly possible to listen to public opinion through measures such as strengthening the functions of the Office of the Chief Civil Affairs Officer (which communicates with the National Assembly and civil society),"
did.