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| Kim Dae-ki, who has been appointed by President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol as his administration's chief of staff, speaks to reporters in the transition committee office building in Tongui-dong, Jongro District, Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol tapped Kim Dae-ki, a veteran bureaucrat with decades-long experience in key government agencies, including the presidential office, as the chief of staff of his administration, which will kick off on May 10.
During a press conference, Wednesday, Yoon announced the appointment of the 66-year-old as his first chief of staff, along with nominations for eight cabinet ministers.
Explaining the background of Kim's appointment, the president-elect called him an "ideal figure" for the post, given his expertise in both the economy and politics.
"Kim began his career at the economy ministry. He has a rare history in the presidential office, where he started to serve as an official, and was promoted to the senior presidential secretary for economic affairs and then the chief of policy affairs," Yoon said.
He added, "Based on his rich experience as a public servant, I believe he is the ideal figure to support the government in successfully carrying out state affairs."
Kim said that his role at the presidential office will be to support government affairs, rather than to engage as a policy maker.
"I believe that the president-elect has appointed a bureaucrat ― not a politician ― to this post, as he believes the presidential office's role is to serve the public, not to wield power in state affairs," Kim told reporters.
When asked about who would be the "control tower" overseeing the administration's economic policies, Kim said, "It seems inappropriate for the presidential office to make policies. The prime minister will be in charge of policy making, and I would be the supporter."
Born in 1956 in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, Kim began his career as a civil servant after passing the public officer qualification exam in 1978. He spent the early years of his career at the Ministry of Planning and Budget.
He served as the Commissioner of Statistics Korea from March 2008 to April 2009, after which he was the Vice Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism until August 2010.
He was the senior secretary for economic affairs and chief of staff for policy during the 2008-2013 Lee Myung-bak administration. He also worked for the 2003-2008 Roh Moo-hyun administration as the secretary for economic policies.
Previous to being named the chief of staff, Kim held a visiting professor position in the Graduate School of Public Administration and Legal Studies at Dankook University.
