Tak Hyun-min "President Moon also requested to appear, but CJ refused"
President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol appearing on 'You Quiz'. / Photo by tvN 'You Quiz on the Block' capture
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Amid controversy over President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's appearance on tvN's 'You Quiz on the Block' (You Quiz), it has been reported that Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum also attempted to appear on the program but was rejected.
According to the Prime Minister's Office on the 21st, Prime Minister Kim considered appearing on 'You Quiz' last October before the fourth wave of COVID-19 as he was looking for ways to communicate with the public. At that time, Kim was regularly appearing on terrestrial news, radio, and debate programs.
However, the 'You Quiz' production team expressed sympathy for the purpose of the appearance but ultimately rejected the request, stating, "Due to the nature of the program, it is difficult for politicians to appear."
It appears that concerns were raised because Prime Minister Kim is a politician who served four terms as a member of the National Assembly and there was a possibility that his appearance could be perceived as politically biased ahead of the presidential election.
Accordingly, the Prime Minister's Office accepted the production team's position and chose another program instead of 'You Quiz.'
Meanwhile, President-elect Yoon appeared on 'You Quiz' the previous day, sharing stories about preparing for the judicial examination, his time as a prosecutor, his thoughts on winning the election, and his recent daily life.
From the moment news of Yoon's appearance was announced, over 9,000 posts appeared on the You Quiz viewer board, including comments that the appearance did not align with the program's purpose, sparking controversy.
Later, on the 21st, a media outlet reported that "President Moon Jae-in also requested to appear but was rejected by the production team," but CJ ENM stated, "We have never received such a request."
In response, Tak Hyun-min, the Blue House Protocol Secretary, rebutted CJ ENM's statement, claiming they were lying. He stated, "In April last year and earlier, the Blue House inquired about appearances by the President, the Blue House barber, the shoe repairman, and the landscaping staff, but the CJ production team rejected these requests at that time."
He said, "There is no problem with President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol's appearance on 'You Quiz.' Although viewers may have different opinions, the decision to appear is a matter for the production team and the participants themselves," adding, "We respected the production team's wishes and did not make further requests. There are records of phone calls with the program staff and exchanged text messages. Nevertheless, CJ lying to the media by saying they never received a request is a bigger problem than the lie itself."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
