[2017 Presidential Success Conditions Research Report] The Blue House Organizational Structure and Operational Methods for Realizing Core State Affairs and Restoring Public Trust

Abstract

The Presidential Secretariat, as a supporting organization for the President, functions as a mechanism for organically managing relations with the executive branch, the National Assembly, political parties, the business community, and civil society, thereby serving as an institutional device to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the overall system. Therefore, for the Presidential Secretariat to effectively support the President's work, it must be designed with a structure that possesses high institutional complementarity. In a presidential system, the President operates the nation through an integrated, organic state affairs management system that involves a team composed of the Presidential Secretariat, a supporting organization, rather than personal power (Moe 1993). This underscores the importance of the institutional design of the Presidential Secretariat (Park Hyung-joon 2013). In other words, effectively designing the Presidential Secretariat, which serves as the President's brain, to manage state affairs will be an essential condition for becoming a successful president. This requires not merely designing an organizational structure, but establishing the precise role of the Presidential Secretariat (vision, mission, strategy), followed by changes in its operational methods and strategic choices for successful state affairs management, and consequently, the effective governance design through organic integration of organizational structure and processes, along with personnel management. For a president to successfully manage state affairs, an operational system where these institutions function organically must be in place, rather than relying excessively on the President's personal capabilities and influence, or being swayed by a few prominent prime ministers, ministers, or chiefs of staff (human governance) (Choi Pyeong-gil 2007). The President must act as a coordinator managing these institutions, and the Secretariat must play a supporting role (Park Hyung-joon 2013).

The current Presidential Secretariat, as the President's official support organization, consists of the Chief of Staff, 10 Senior Secretaries, 16 committees, and the Security Service. However, these support organizations failed to perform their given roles, leading to the unprecedented situation where the Chief of Staff, the Senior Secretary for Economic Affairs, and related secretaries were arrested. Why did this happen? Would such an incident have occurred even if the presidential support system and government organization had functioned properly? This chapter will examine the operational plans and institutional reform measures for the Presidential Secretariat, representing the presidential support organization, which are fundamental for the successful performance of the presidential duties.

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“To facilitate communication, accurate information is essential. Therefore, instead of appointing journalists solely from media backgrounds, individuals with the capacity to understand policy and effectively convey public opinion through social curation should be appointed.”

“A secretary, akin to the historiographers (Sagwan) of the Joseon Dynasty, should record all aspects of the President's state affairs management. This record should be made public after the President's term ends, but should not be accessible during the term of office.”

“Objective recording, its preservation, and public disclosure will ensure transparency regarding the President's actions, thereby enhancing public trust. This will contribute to the successful performance of presidential duties, and subsequent presidents and their staff can reduce trial and error by studying these records.”

“The security duties of the Presidential Secretariat should also be placed under the Presidential Office, and reorganized to collaborate with secretaries for protocol, public relations, and public communication.”

“The Director of the Presidential Core State Affairs shall appoint senior secretaries for each core state affair and concentrate on roles such as actual policy planning and coordination, policy analysis and monitoring, and verification and feedback through evaluation.”

“The title of the current Presidential Chief of Staff should be changed to Director of Communication to shift the perception of the Presidential Chief of Staff. The core mission of the Director of Communication is to communicate with various groups, share opinions, and foster understanding.”

“The Blue House should be reorganized into a Political Affairs Senior Secretary for communication with the National Assembly, ruling and opposition parties, and the executive branch; a Public Relations Senior Secretary responsible for functional groups, civil society, media, and social media offline; and a Protocol and Security Office that combines the Security Service and the Protocol Office.”

“A standing regular meeting is necessary where the President's core staff—the Director of Communication, the Director of State Affairs (Management), and, depending on the issue, the Prime Minister, relevant ministers, senior secretaries, and intelligence agency directors—can participate to discuss and coordinate substantive policies.”

Author

Park Hyung-joonProfessor of Public Administration and Graduate School of Governance, Sungkyunkwan University. Ph.D. in Public Administration, Florida State University. Recent works include “Dynamics of accountability in crisis management,” “Consistency of Administrative Reform Values and Norms by Administration: Focusing on the Language Network Analysis of Core Values in Administrative Reform,” and “Analysis of Policy Types and Policy Implementation of Political Party Election Pledges: Focusing on the 19th General Election Pledges.”