"Shocking" and "Harsh Language"... Divergent Views on President Yoon's 'Doorstepping Communication'

"Portrayed as a National Chaos Issue" "Not Sophisticated" Criticism Voices
Expert: "Many Mistakes, but Important That Problems Can Be Identified Through Communication"

President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering reporters' questions as he arrives at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the morning of the 20th. / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] Concerns are emerging inside and outside the political sphere regarding President Yoon Seok-yeol's brief morning press conferences, so-called 'doorstepping.' While it is positive that the president is directly engaging in communication, controversies have arisen due to unrefined language use and discrepancies between the presidential office and government ministries on national issues.

Since his inauguration on the 10th of last month, President Yoon has answered reporters' questions about 20 times during his morning commute. By expressing his thoughts daily on major issues, he has shown a willingness to strengthen communication with the public. In the previous administration, presidential statements were mainly conveyed through spokespersons, and opportunities for direct Q&A with the president were rare, so this approach was generally seen as fresh and groundbreaking.

However, because these sessions proceed without a script, rough remarks or unorganized government positions have often been conveyed as is, leading to frequent controversies. A representative example is when President Yoon said he had "not been informed" regarding the Ministry of Employment and Labor's recently announced 'Direction for Reforming Working Hours,' causing confusion. Subsequently, the presidential office explained that the Ministry of Employment and Labor had announced a promotion plan, and that some media reports citing specific cases were not the final government proposal.

President Yoon Suk-yeol is arriving at the Yongsan Presidential Office building on the morning of the 15th. / Yonhap News

President Yoon's unrefined remarks have also sparked controversy multiple times. Regarding protests in front of former President Moon Jae-in's residence in Yangsan, Gyeongnam, he said, "Won't everything be handled according to the law?" which was criticized as tolerating abusive protests. During the controversy over First Lady Kim Keon-hee's 'accompanying acquaintances' to the late former President Roh Moo-hyun's grave, he remarked, "Because this is the first time being president," and in relation to the controversy over personnel appointments biased toward former prosecutors, he said, "In the past, didn't the Minbyun (People's Solidarity for Participatory Democracy) members dominate?" These comments also came during the morning doorstepping sessions.

In the political sphere, there are evaluations that such remarks by President Yoon could cause unnecessary political conflict and confusion. Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party of Korea, pointed out at a regular press briefing at the National Assembly on the 26th, "The president's language during doorstepping is rough and definitive," adding, "It appears as a problem causing national confusion."

Kim Jong-in, former Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, also gave a negative assessment in an interview on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' on the 22nd, saying, "The president's words should not be so light. He gives off-the-cuff answers without much thought, which is not very polished."

On the other hand, some argue that since this communication method has never been attempted by any previous president, minor and major confusions are inevitable. The very purpose of doorstepping to strengthen communication is a trial-and-error process to identify and correct problems.

Political commentator Lee Jong-hoon said, "Although there are immature and uncoordinated remarks, completely blocking doorstepping is not an appropriate solution. These are unavoidable side effects appearing during the process of establishing such a system," adding, "It is true that the confusion over the Ministry of Employment and Labor's policy announcement revealed a lack of communication between the presidential office and government ministries, but it is important that even such problems can be identified through doorstepping. It is more important to identify and correct problems than to fail to recognize them at all."