Anchor: President Yoon Suk Yeol has decided to revive the office of the senior secretary for civil affairs and named former vice justice minister Kim Joo-hyun to lead the office. Yoon announced the appointment at the presidential office on Tuesday.
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: President Yoon Suk Yeol has reestablished the position of presidential senior secretary for civil affairs and appointed a former vice justice minister to lead the office. 

The president announced the decision in a news conference at the top office on Tuesday, introducing his chief civil affairs secretary Kim Joo-hyun.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)]
"... I had previously said that if I became president, I wouldn't establish the office of senior secretary for civil affairs. I have so far kept that stance, but because [the presidential office's] attention to public opinion has become weak, I had to rely on op-ed articles and advice from people around me."    

Yoon had pledged before his election in 2022 to abolish the position of civil affairs chief, which he said previous administrations mobilized to conduct surveillance against their political opponents.

While restoring the position two years after his inauguration, the president sought to dispel suspicions that he is trying to tighten his grip over the nation's investigative authorities against pending probes into allegations surrounding key officials and his wife.

[Sound bite: President Yoon Suk Yeol (Korean-English)] 
"If there is any 'legal risk,' it is a problem that I must face. I would have to explain issues raised against me. It wouldn't be the job of the civil affairs secretary. Please discuss this with the civil affairs chief." 

Marking his second year in office, Yoon is set to hold a press conference on Thursday and address what he referred to as "legal risks," including allegations of stock price manipulation involving First lady Kim Keon-hee and her acceptance of a luxurious handbag a few months after his inauguration. 
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.