- Presidential Office "Stopping Doorstepping... Cannot Continue Without Preventing Recurrence of Unpleasant Incidents"
- Considering Changes to Doorstepping Method... Recognizing Issues Like Focused Questions and Q&A on Confidential Matters
[Asia Economy Reporters Baek Kyunghwan and Naju-seok] President Yoon Suk-yeol stopped the brief press conference (doorstepping) with reporters on his way to work on the 21st. This decision came in the aftermath of the ‘MBC reporter-secretary public verbal dispute’ incident, and he also announced that he would not respond for the time being. Except for the Itaewon disaster, this is the first time in 195 days since May 11, the day after his inauguration, that President Yoon came to the Yongsan Government Complex without holding a brief press conference without any other schedule. The space where President Yoon and the reporters exchanged questions and answers was blocked off with wooden plywood.
The Presidential Office announced through a media notice that morning, "We have decided to suspend doorstepping as of November 21," adding, "We judged that it cannot be continued without fundamental measures to prevent recurrence related to the recent unfortunate incident." This appears to reflect the judgment that situations such as reporters aggressively questioning President Yoon and clashing with aides could recur. The Presidential Office also added, "Doorstepping was established for open communication with the public. If a method that can fulfill this purpose well is prepared, we will consider resuming it." It was reported that President Yoon went straight to his office after arriving on the first floor of the Presidential Office building that day.
On the first floor where the Q&A took place, plywood partitions were installed the previous afternoon. The partition wall was made by connecting 12 wooden plywood panels, measuring 6 meters wide and 4 meters high. On the opposite side, a panel bearing the newly unveiled CI of the Presidential Office was erected. Previously, the press corps could look inside the entrance door while moving along the first-floor corridor where the press room is located, but the installation of the partition wall completely blocked the view on the first floor.
The Presidential Office hinted that the installation of the partition wall was related to some media. The day before, they explained, "There are parts of the President’s schedule, such as in the diplomatic field, that require confidentiality. There was an opinion that it is not desirable to be exposed to all situations, so the partition wall was installed," but within a day, they cited the ‘unfortunate incident’ as the reason for suspending doorstepping. The unfortunate incident refers to the loud verbal argument between an MBC reporter and the Public Relations Planning Secretary on the 18th.
The Presidential Office is also considering changing the doorstepping method in light of this incident. Other aides besides the Public Relations Secretary’s Office raised issues such as the question style focused on ‘specific reporters’ and questions and answers occurring at non-public times. A Presidential Office official explained, "We are considering a reasonable method for communication."
However, since the Presidential Office unilaterally decided not to proceed with doorstepping, it is expected to be difficult to avoid criticism that it has closed a channel of communication with the public. President Yoon said at the 100-day press conference in August, regarding the Q&A on the way to work, "The most important reason for moving the Presidential Office to Yongsan is this," adding, "I think the process of accompaniment should be transparently revealed to the public so that sharp criticism and various points can be received from the people." In particular, despite various cost controversies, President Yoon’s move from the Blue House to Yongsan was also for communication with the public. Accordingly, there are calls for President Yoon to directly express his position on the decision to suspend doorstepping.
The change in President Yoon’s approval rating due to the suspension of doorstepping is also attracting attention. According to a public opinion poll released that day by Realmeter (conducted by Media Tribune from November 14 to 18, targeting 2,516 voters aged 18 and over nationwide using an automated response method), President Yoon’s approval rating for state affairs dropped 1.2 percentage points from the previous week to 33.4%. Negative evaluations rose by 0.4 percentage points to 63.8%.
Baek Cheol-ho, a Realmeter senior researcher, said, "Normally, approval ratings tend to rise after a successful overseas trip, but the fact that recent regular polls have shown a slight decline or stagnation suggests that controversies such as the exclusion from boarding the MBC exclusive plane and issues related to First Lady Kim Geon-hee have diluted the impact." Regarding President Yoon’s suspension of doorstepping, he said, "Despite controversies over the format, it was something President Yoon was attached to, so this is puzzling," adding, "There is a concern that it may be perceived as not wanting to listen." For more details, please refer to the website of the Central Election Poll Deliberation Commission.
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