Tag: Journalism

Tweet of the Day: Michael Breen Targeted for Opposition to Sewol Memorial at Gwanghamun

| April 27, 2019

Tweet of the Day: SFCC Response to South Korean Left Wing Parties Criticism of Bloomberg Journalist

| March 18, 2019

Journalist’s Question to President Moon About Economy Causes Controversy

| January 14, 2019

Over at the East Asia Research Center, Dr. Tara O has a posting up about a question to President Moon asked by reporter Kim Ye-ryeoung (김예령) who works Kyonggi Broadcast Corporation. Some believe this question is inappropriate to ask a President:

Reporter Kim Ye-ryeoung asked:

[You said you will] create a society in which a dragon emerges from a sewer [rags to riches], but I believe you know well that in reality, the public opinion is chilly.  The reality is that the economy is stagnant. The people are suffering a lot. They have not given up hope, but they’re very anxious about the future. Related to this, Mr. president, you have emphasized ‘I’m looking at it very seriously.’ Despite this, Mr. President, [you] have not altered the basic direction of the policy and have not changed, and I’d like to know the reasons.  I’m asking directly, where does that confidence come from and what is the basis for it?

President Moon replied:

I’ve spent the last 30 minutes of today’s press conference explaining why we need the current economic policy and that the sustainable growth is impossible without changing the structure, including polarization [the gap increasing between the high income and the low income groups] and inequality. For that we need to take whatever supplemental measures we need to take, but I already amply said why. On the contrary, we need to continue the current policy. I don’t feel we need a new answer.

Journalist Kim’s question has caused a controversy in South Korea.  
Various comments online have attacked her for being “rude” to ask such questions to President Moon while others cheered her for asking what has been on their minds.  Here are some responses:

East Asia Research Center

You can read the responses at the link, but the usual suspects have criticized her by calling her “drunk”, “defiant”, “incompetent”, and that she needs to “study more”. I don’t see what the problem is with asking the President why he won’t change a policy that is not working. I think the real anger is that since KBC is a privately owned news network the Korean left has been able to take control of it like they did with the public broadcasters.

Tweet of the Day: Prosecutors Want 5 Years in Jail for Journalist Who Reported Facts

| December 8, 2018

Gordon Chang Gives Address to the National Press Club On South Korean Government’s Attacks on Freedom of Speech

| October 31, 2018

Via a reader tip comes a video of journalist and author Gordon Chang recently giving a speech to the National Press Club about the Moon administration’s attacks on the freedom of speech in South Korea.  He also discusses the current security situation on the Korean peninsula.

For those that have been reading the ROK Drop none of Mr. Chang’s comments should come as a surprise.  The Moon administration since taking office has made it a priority to consolidate control of the national media outlets, jailing political opponents, and the silencing of media critics.