“Park Seong-min’s Office Location Change and Influence in the People’s Power Party”

A small change has recently occurred in the People’s Power area within the National Assembly building. The office location of Park Seong-min, Vice President for Strategic Planning (64, photo), a key official, has changed.

Summarizing the coverage of the Kyunghyang Shinmun on the 31st, the power of the people has adjusted the office location in the headquarters after appointing Song Sang-heon from Cheil Worldwide as the head of the public relations headquarters on the 25th. Director Song moved into room 236-2, which Vice President Park used to use, and Vice President Park moved to room 236-1, right next door.

Initially, it was considered unusual within the party that Vice President Park had an office in the main office. Only the secretary general’s office was located in the main office, but the vice president’s office was seldom found. There was a tacit agreement that incumbent lawmakers should use the offices of lawmakers in the assembly hall. In the past, under the leadership of Kim Jong-in, head of the Emergency Response Committee during the United Future Party, Ham Gyeong-woo, vice president of organization, used the headquarters office, but it was largely because he was an outsider.

The vice-president’s office within the headquarters, which was created by Vice-President Park after a long absence, was initially located in Room 233-1. Afterwards, it moved to room 236-2, which was used by the media bureau of the party secretariat, and the media bureau moved to the party outside the Capitol. At the time, word circulated within the party that ‘the vice-president wants to move because the room is small.’

Recently, another move was made to room 236-1, and the complaints of the working-level staff increased. Vice-Chancellor Park said in a phone call that day, “It was because it seemed good that (the Vice-Chancellor’s office) was right in front of the secretary-general’s office (I moved).”

Vice-Chancellor Park, whose district is Jung-gu, Ulsan, is considered a powerful figure. Many people cite the floor leader election in April as an opportunity. At that time, ‘Yoon Haek-gwan’ (a key official on the side of President Seok-yeol Yoon), Rep. Jang Je-won, pushed the 4th term Rep. Kim Hak-yong, and Rep. Park Seong-min pushed the 3rd term Rep. Yoon Jae-ok to the floor, respectively, and Rep. Yoon was elected.

Vice President Park was known as President Yoon Seok-yeol’s drinking buddy. Vice President Park also accompanied President Yoon on a state visit to the United States for the Korea-US summit in April. For this reason, there are rumors within the party about whether the ‘strong real estate’ is Rep. Jang or Vice-President Park. One leadership figure said, “It seems right to see that the roles of the two (Rep. Chang and Vice President Park) are different.”

Vice President Park has a great influence on the party’s decision-making. He is a member of the closed-door leadership strategy meeting held by Chairman Kim at 8:00 am on weekdays from the beginning of last month. Vice President Park is also known to have recommended Ga-ram Kim, a youth spokesperson who ran for the youth supreme council at the time of the last 3/8 party convention and failed, to take his place. Spokesperson Kim recently ran for a by-election for the Supreme Council.