"Update on the Reporter Who Asked, 'Where Does President Moon's Confidence Come From?'"

Former Gyeonggi Broadcasting Reporter Kim Yeryeong, Future Korea Party Nomination Interview
At Last Year's New Year's Press Conference, Asked "What Is the Basis of Your Confidence?"

Kim Ye-ryeong, former Gyeonggi Broadcasting reporter, attending President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference held at the Blue House's Yeongbingwan on January 10 last year / Photo by JTBC Broadcasting Capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Ga-yeon] Former Gyeonggi Broadcasting reporter Kim Ye-ryeong, who sparked controversy with her sharp questions at President Moon Jae-in's New Year's press conference, attended an interview with the Future Korea Party's nomination committee, a satellite party of the United Future Party.

The Future Korea Party's nomination committee conducted private interviews with 531 applicants for proportional representation from the 12th to the 15th. On the 15th, the interview reportedly included former reporter Kim, former MBC announcer Shin Dong-ho, former MBC president Kim Jae-chul, and former Dong-A Ilbo editorial writer Cho Su-jin, among others.

Previously, on January 10 last year, Kim was criticized for asking questions at President Moon's New Year's press conference held at the Blue House's State Guest House without revealing her affiliation or name.

At the time, Kim asked, "The president must be aware that public opinion is very cold," and said, "The real economy is frozen, and the people are struggling a lot. I want to know why you do not intend to change the current policy direction, where your confidence comes from, and what the basis for it is. I will ask you directly."

President Moon responded to this question by saying, "I have said throughout the 30-minute press conference today that sustainable growth is impossible without changing the structure of polarization and inequality in our society."

Some netizens criticized Kim's question, saying it was "rude to the president."

Mirae Korea Party's Gong Byung-ho, Chairman of the Nomination Management Committee (right), and Jo Hun-hyun, a member of the Nomination Committee, are discussing during a break in the ongoing preliminary candidate interviews of the Nomination Management Committee at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the holiday, the 15th. Photo by Yonhap News

Kim resigned last month, claiming that her question affected Gyeonggi Broadcasting's license renewal.

On the 25th of last month, she posted on her Facebook, "It has been a long time at 'Gyeonggi Broadcasting,' where I have worked for 23 years," and added, "My question to the president at the 'New Year's press conference' in January 2019 ultimately influenced the renewal of our Gyeonggi Broadcasting's license, leading me to conclude that I needed to make a decision."

Regarding this claim, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) issued a clarification on the 27th of last month, stating, "During the November 2019 license renewal review process and the KCC's resolution process, matters related to reporter Kim Ye-ryeong's questions were never reviewed or discussed."

They continued, "Gyeonggi Broadcasting was violating the Broadcasting Act and Commercial Act, and an abnormal situation existed where Executive Director 'Hyun 00,' not the nominal representative director, controlled overall management," adding, "The license renewal review committee evaluated the public responsibility and fairness of the broadcast, as well as the necessity for regional, social, and cultural aspects, with a failing score of 116 points out of 250, and the total score was 647.12 points, below the renewal standard of 650 points."

Meanwhile, after receiving conditional license renewal from the KCC in January, Gyeonggi Broadcasting held an emergency board meeting on the 20th of last month and decided to close down. The board stated that due to 'discord between labor and management,' normal management became impossible, and the decision to close was unanimously agreed upon by all members.