Kang Hoon-sik, chief of staff to President Lee Jae Myung, offered to resign on Sept. 21, 2026, taking overall responsibility for personnel failures after two of six Cabinet reshuffle nominees withdrew over misconduct allegations. Lee said he had yet to decide whether to accept the offer before departing for the UN General Assembly and a state visit to Mexico. The move has intensified tensions between Lee’s Gyeonggi-Seongnam allies and other power centers, with some ruling-party figures arguing Kang should remain and others blaming him for the administration’s personnel system. Kang has served since Lee took office in June 2025 and has also handled international negotiations, defense-export diplomacy and startup and youth policy. His departure would leave vacancies in two of the Blue House’s three top chief positions, as no successor has been appointed for former policy chief Kim Yong-beom 20 days after his resignation was accepted.