Kim Yong-beom, chief of the presidential policy office, said on the 1st through social media that he was stepping down. "Now I leave first. There is still much to be done, but I thought it was time for me to vacate this position and for the next people to do their part," he said.
Kim released the farewell message he had sent to policy office staff that afternoon, saying he had "completed the duties entrusted to me today as the first policy chief of the Lee Jae-myung administration."
"While serving as policy chief, I felt I carried a responsibility far greater than my own abilities," he said. "You filled those gaps. You found what I missed, you looked further ahead when my thinking fell short, and when problems arose, you threw yourselves in as if it were your own work without waiting for anyone else." He added, "I made many demands and pushed hard. There must have been plenty of times I made things difficult. Even so, you ran alongside me to the end. Thank you, and I am sorry."
Kim said people often asked him how he managed to handle such a whirlwind of work while serving a president who takes such direct charge of policy. "I always answered that the best talent in Korea was gathered in our policy office," he said.
"I saw clearly from your side just how much deliberation, persuasion and coordination it takes for a single policy to reach the world," he said. "What the policy office accomplished is what you accomplished. I am proud of the results we produced, and even prouder of you."
He also praised the hard work and dedication of the policy office staff. "When I am outside, I will talk more about how fiercely you worked and about the people behind this administration's achievements," Kim said. "I will cheer harder than anyone for the work you go on to create." He added, "Looking back, meeting you at the end of my career after all those long years was a great stroke of luck. I got to work to my heart's content with good people and good intentions, and I gained all of you."
