Presidential office staff return to work

[Anchor]

The presidential office staff who had collectively resigned in protest when Acting President Choi Sang-mok appointed a constitutional court judge have returned to work.

Although the conflict seems to have been temporarily resolved due to Acting President Choi's repeated persuasion, it has been confirmed that there is still underlying dissent.

Reporter Jeong Sae-bae has the details.

[Report]

Today (1.2), the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters meeting for the Jeju Air disaster was held as usual.

All positions, from the head of the headquarters to the Minister of the Interior and Safety and the Minister of Justice, are filled by acting officials.

Following that, the New Year government ceremony was held.

The background was the same as last year, but the attendees and the atmosphere were different.

Considering this situation, Acting President Choi Sang-mok emphasized 'national stability' and 'cooperation' once again.

[Choi Sang-mok/Acting President: "For national stability and the resolution of current issues, the unity and cooperation of the leadership, including the National Assembly and political circles, are essential."]

The presidential office staff who had expressed collective resignation in protest of the appointment of the constitutional court justices have also taken a step back and returned to work as usual.

Chief of Staff Chung Jin-suk, who had declared a halt to work saying "the resignation has been accepted," stated, "I will come to work until the resignation is accepted," and returned to his duties.

It is reported that Acting President Choi made three phone calls yesterday (1.1) to dissuade him from resigning.

In addition to this, Chung seemed to take into account the criticism that the presidential office is leading the conflict rather than focusing on national stability.

However, staff members still expressed in internal meetings that "if Chief Chung resigns, all will resign together," indicating that the dissent regarding Acting President Choi's appointment of the constitutional court justices remains strong.

While the conflict between the Acting President and the presidential office seems to have been temporarily resolved, there are concerns that the role of the presidential office may weaken in a situation where the government is largely operating under acting officials.

This is KBS News, Jeong Sae-bae.