Rep. Jeong Eul-ho of the Democratic Party of Korea will begin work as the new senior political secretary at the presidential office on Tuesday.
Jeong had previously denied reports of his appointment, saying they were "not true." However, sources say he coordinated the timing to follow the end of the February extraordinary session, as resigning during a parliamentary session would require a plenary vote.
"Rep. Jeong is scheduled to start work as political secretary on the 4th," a key ruling party official said Monday. "Resignation during a session is realistically difficult, so he proceeded with the process after the session concluded on the 3rd."
Under the current Constitution and National Assembly Act, lawmakers are prohibited from holding concurrent positions. Jeong must therefore relinquish his parliamentary seat to assume the secretarial role. The position had been vacant since former Rep. Kim Byung-wook resigned in January to run for Seongnam mayor ahead of the June local elections.
Jeong, a native of Gochang in North Jeolla Province, graduated from Chung-Ang University with a degree in business administration. He began his political career as a party staff member, serving in various roles including director of the party leader's secretariat, strategic planning bureau chief, and general affairs coordination bureau chief.
During President Lee Jae-myung's tenure as party leader, Jeong oversaw party operations as general affairs coordination bureau chief. In the last presidential election, he served as chief of staff to the candidate's spouse, closely attending to First Lady Kim Hye-kyung.
Analysts note it is unusual for a sitting lawmaker to move to a secretary-level staff position. While Chief of Staff Kang Hoon-sik, National Security Advisor Wi Sung-lac, and Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung resigned their seats to join the presidential office after the administration's launch, this marks the first case of a sitting lawmaker taking a political secretary position.
Observers suggest the presidential office deployed a hands-on figure with deep knowledge of party affairs to strengthen communication with the National Assembly and the ruling party. Jeong's role is expected to be significant as political coordination becomes increasingly important amid ongoing partisan standoffs over reform legislation, budget matters, and personnel issues following April's general election.
Upon Jeong's resignation, Kim Jun-hwan, former deputy director of the National Intelligence Service, will succeed him as the next proportional representative. While the Democratic Party's seat count will remain unchanged after the National Election Commission completes succession procedures, attention is turning to committee assignments given Kim's background in security and intelligence.