Kim Eo-jun: "What Made Civil Servants Kneel Was Not the 'Emperor Protocol' but 'Reporter Power Abuse'"

"Reporters Make Public Officials Kneel for the Camera"

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun stated on his TBS radio show "Kim Eo-jun's News Factory" that forcing a Ministry of Justice employee to kneel was not an "emperor's protocol" but rather "reporter bullying."
/Photo by YouTube 'TBS Siminui Bangsong' capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun raised his voice regarding the so-called 'emperor protocol' controversy surrounding Deputy Minister of Justice Kang Seong-guk, saying, "It was the reporters who made the Ministry of Justice staff kneel."

On the 31st, on TBS Radio's 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory,' Kim said, "Reporters who were bothered by the staff being caught on their cameras demanded they move back and sit down more. It was reporter power abuse that made public officials kneel for the sake of the screen."

Kim explained the situation where a Ministry of Justice staff member knelt and held an umbrella beside Deputy Minister Kang during a briefing. He said, "Originally, the indoor briefing location was changed to outdoors because the number of reporters exceeded 50," and added, "Deputy Minister Kang, holding an umbrella, found it difficult to flip through documents over several pages, so he handed the umbrella to a Ministry of Justice staff member."

He continued, "When the staff member being caught on camera beside Deputy Minister Kang bothered the reporters, they demanded the staff move back. Later, when the staff member's hand holding the umbrella was caught on camera, they were told to sit down," and explained, "As a result, the staff member crouched while holding the umbrella and eventually knelt due to the unstable posture as the briefing continued. If the staff member had just stood beside or if the hand holding the umbrella had appeared on screen, there would have been no problem."

Regarding the incident called the 'emperor protocol,' he pointed out, "This is not an 'emperor protocol' where a high-ranking official mistreats their subordinate, but reporter power abuse that made a public official kneel for the sake of the screen. How can this be called an emperor protocol?"

Meanwhile, on the 27th, Deputy Minister Kang briefed on support measures for special Afghan entrants at the National Human Resources Development Institute in Jincheon, Chungbuk. At that time, a Ministry of Justice staff member was seen kneeling and holding an umbrella over Deputy Minister Kang, which sparked controversy over the so-called 'emperor protocol.'