(VOVworld) – Republic of Korea President Park Geun-hye on Thursday appointed Han Gwang-ok, chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, as her new chief of staff and Hur Won-je, a politician, as her senior secretary for political affairs, in a move to allay seething public criticism over a political scandal involving Park’s longtime confidante.
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Republic of Korea presidential spokesman Jung Youn-kuk announced the replacements in Seoul on November 2, 2016. (Photo: AFP/VNA)
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Earlier, the Korean leader also named two new senior secretaries for civil affairs and public relations. With the latest appointments, Park has replaced three of her senior secretaries.
Meanwhile, Korean prosecutors have detained Ahn Jong-beom, the former senior presidential advisor for policy coordination, for suspected involvement with Choi Soon-sil, a close friend of President Park and the center of the political scandal. On Sunday, Ahn resigned amid accusations of forcing conglomerates to donate funds to Choi’s two non-profit foundations using their connections with the president.