Hong Ik-pyo offers to resign as Blue House senior secretary for political affairs; pro-Moon Choi In-ho under strong consideration as successor

[Financial News] With reports that Hong Ik-pyo has offered to resign as Blue House senior secretary for political affairs, Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) President Choi In-ho is under strong consideration as his successor.
According to sources at the Blue House and in the ruling bloc on the 6th, Hong is expected to continue reporting to work through the 8th. His successor is also expected to be selected around the 8th, and an announcement could come on Sunday, the 8th.
The Blue House has included Choi among the candidates for the next senior secretary for political affairs and is considering the appointment. The vetting process is also reportedly underway.
Choi is a former two-term lawmaker with the Democratic Party of Korea and is regarded as a figure aligned with both the pro-Roh Moo-hyun and pro-Moon Jae-in factions. He served as a secretary on the National Assembly’s Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee, among other roles, and is reportedly well regarded by lawmakers across party lines for his steadiness and affability.
Born in 1966 in Changnyeong, South Gyeongsang Province, he served as student council president at Pusan National University. He worked as a secretary in former President Roh Moo-hyun’s office when Roh was a lawmaker, and served as deputy presidential spokesperson and domestic press secretary at the Blue House under the Roh Moo-hyun administration.
He ran in Busan’s Saha-gap district and won in the 20th and 21st general elections. He also received the Democratic Party’s sole nomination for the 22nd general election, but lost to People Power Party lawmaker Lee Seong-gwon by 693 votes, or 0.79 percentage points. He took office as HUG president early this year.
[email protected] Seong Seok-woo Reporter