Recently, President Yoon Suk Yeol has been making unusual strides, holding his second press conference in two years since taking office to connect with the public.
However, a BBC journalist who was present at the event reported that she found President Yoon’s responses unsatisfactory, sparking discussions.
Jean Mackenzie, a BBC News correspondent in Seoul, appeared on the YouTube channel BBC NEWS Korea immediately after President Yoon Suk Yeol’s press conference on May 9th and commented, “It was not satisfactory. He essentially did not answer my question,” expressing her disappointment. She also noted that President Yoon Suk Yeol did not give clear answers to many questions. He responded to the questions vaguely and safely.
Mackenzie also commented that President Yoon seemed well-prepared, knowing what questions he would receive. She added, “This is completely different from the unexpected remarks he made at the beginning of his term. It’s only the second press conference in two years of his term, which is very few.”
In response to a question about her thoughts on the timing of the press conference following the 22nd general election, Mackenzie said, “I think there was an intention behind it. This press conference was held after the ruling party received a disappointing report card in the general election,” and analyzed, “This press conference was meant to show that the President was listening to the criticisms that he does not communicate with the people and that he wanted to change his communication style.”
However, after watching the press conference, she said she had one question she wanted to ask.
“Something I wanted to ask was about the freedom of the press in Korea. Throughout various reports and studies, it has been noted that press freedom has declined during President Yoon’s tenure. This issue has been seriously addressed and criticized by the domestic media in Korea.” She explained
In response to a question about what challenges President Yoon might face during the remainder of his term, she said, “He is facing several difficulties over the next three years. Since he cannot control the legislature, resistance will always accompany his efforts to push forward with national tasks.”
Initially, Mackenzie asked President Yoon about the so-called red line that Korea cannot tolerate in relation to military cooperation between North Korea and Russia at the press conference.
She also asked how the Korean government would respond if Russia crossed the red line.
In response to this question, President Yoon stated, “Russia has had a good relationship with us for a long time,” and said, “We will manage our relationship with Russia as smoothly as possible while cooperating on certain issues related to the recent Ukraine war and opposing or being cautious about others, pursuing economic cooperation and mutual benefits.”
When asked about a potential visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Pyongyang for a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, President Yoon continued to evade the core issues, as confirmed.
As President Yoon continued to appear to recite a memorized script rather than expressing his convictions, Mackenzie said, “I expected that if President Yoon evades the question, he would mention the sanctions that South Korea has been imposing or the efforts to isolate Russia, but the president emphasized the importance of relations with Russia and said he wants to cooperate with Russia, which was surprising and suggests something.” Expressing her surprise, Mackenzie stated, “I did not expect such a response from President Yoon.”
The question from Mackenzie was about military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, not diplomatic issues between Russia and South Korea.
Another foreign media correspondent, Josh Smith from Reuters, also interacted with President Yoon during the press conference and later shared on his social media after the conference ended that, “Yoon laughed, and didn’t directly answer.”
After the press conference, Smith shared a news video on his social media, saying “I asked South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol about Donald Trump’s recent comments saying it ‘doesn’t make sense to defend a wealthy country like South Korea unless they pay more to cover the US troop presence.'”
Meanwhile, the political community has also criticized the press conference as being all bark and no bite, noting that President Yoon’s responses missed the core of all questions.
Former lawmaker Yoo Seung Min of the People Power Party said, “President Yoon gave irrelevant answers to important questions,” while Gyeonggi Province Governor Kim Dong Yeon also criticized him, saying, “It was a press conference without answers. It confirmed once again that he is a president without answers.”
However, members of the People Power Party, considered the backbone of the Yoon’s administration, evaluated the press conference as “a chance to directly hear the president’s sincere and candid stance on all the current issues that the public is curious about,” and showed reactions such as “improved communication” and “quite moved.”
After the press conference, netizens who watched the BBC journalist’s review commented, “I am truly embarrassed,” “A true K-fool,” and “The response related to Russia seems to be unintended, or didn’t he understand the question?” highlighting the criticisms raised.
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