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The S Korea president’s one-way communication

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작성자 The Hankyorae 작성일10-11-17 21:32 조회1,544회 댓글0건

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A few days ago, President Lee Myung-bak gave a one-on-one interview with the Dong-A Ilbo. Over the past few years, he has avoided press conferences with representatives from various news outlets in attendance and selectively approached only those outlets that show a favorable stance to his administration. Indeed, this misguided behavior has become even more severe at times when there have been serious problems with the president’s media relations.

Since taking office, President Lee has given just four press conferences. This stands in stark contrast with the 42 press conferences given by U.S. President Barack Obama in the single year after he took office. Instead, President Lee has favored the format of speeches broadcast to the people of South Korea. He has appeared on television occasionally in segments called “Dialogue with the President,” but no dialogue worthy of the name has taken place.

Even when he has given a press conference, he has avoided answering difficult questions. He has simply engaged in one-sided promotional efforts and does not appear to have ever prioritized two-way communication.

This type of behavior goes against the duties of the person with supreme responsibility for state management. Such a person should periodically notify the people of the state of the government and respond with answers to the questions the people have. It is enough to make us ask whether he has forgotten that governance is not a president’s exclusive prerogative, but a duty entrusted to him by the citizens.

He does not appear mindful of the common wisdom that the press speaks for the people’s right to know, either. Despite a wide range of contentious issues, including the Four Major Rivers Restoration Project, tax cuts for the wealthy, daepo phones implicating the Cheong Wa Dae in illegal surveillance, and dispatching troops to the United Arab Emirates to win a power plan bid, the people of South Korea have no way of knowing the president’s views. This is not a normal state of affairs. It cannot be called a democratic process, given that the healthy formation of public opinion through two-way communication is being stymied.

The Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) may believe it fulfills communication responsibilities through interviews with carefully-selected news outlets. However, this latest Dong-A Ilbo interview also demonstrates the weak basis supporting this claim. During the interview, President Lee said that he plans to maintain his policy of tax cuts for high-income earners. The ruling Grand National Party is currently calling for the withdrawal of tax cuts for the rich, yet the Dong-A did not press the president to give his detailed views on this. It was enough to warrant charges that the interview merely served as another expression of the president’s opinions rather than a proper critical interview.

Even if the Cheong Wa Dae seeks to take advantage of the press, it is the duty of the press to criticize this behavior and maintain its relationship of tension with the source. But a number of news outlets, still currying favor with the administration, are behaving in a way that suggests a removal from this proper approach. It is time for the news sector to wake up and see the damage to the media through these tactics.


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