"Impeachment Is a Fact, but 'Former President' Title Must Be Used"
"If Titles Change Based on Historical Evaluation, 'Moon Jae-in-ssi' Would Also Be Justified"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Ha Tae-kyung, a member of the People Power Party, pointed out that it was inappropriate for the media to refer to former President Park Geun-hye as "Ms. Park Geun-hye."
On the 11th, Ha posted on his Facebook, "I was surprised to hear the host of MBC Radio this morning refer to former President Park Geun-hye as 'Ms. Park Geun-hye.'"
Ha said, "They said they do not use the title 'former president' in accordance with the Former Presidents Act. However, the Former Presidents Act has nothing to do with titles."
He continued, "After fact-checking, the law only stipulates that if a former president is sentenced to imprisonment or higher, or was impeached during their term, they cannot receive pensions, commemorative projects, or staff privileges," and explained, "Rather, according to the definition in this law, it is more appropriate to use the title 'former president' because it defines a former president as 'a person who was elected and served as president according to the Constitution.'"
Ha said, "It is undoubtedly a painful part of our history that a former president was sentenced to imprisonment and impeached," but added, "If titles change based on historical evaluation, then the inappropriate behavior of some political parties calling President Moon Jae-in 'Mr. Moon Jae-in' would also be justified."
He also said, "It is a matter of personal freedom and respect for individuals to choose what title they prefer, but media organizations in the public reporting domain are different," adding, "The title 'former president' is not a matter of 'courtesy' but a 'fact,' yet each media outlet expresses this fact differently. It seems to be another expression of the public sentiment divided by political camps, which is disheartening."
Furthermore, he added, "I hope the media respects the spirit of unity and healing rather than division among the people, and that this becomes an important value in media reform in this era."
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