June 6 Release of 'Mr. President'
[Asia Economy Reporter Park Hyun-joo] Former Blue House Protocol Secretary Tak Hyun-min said, "When I met former President Moon Jae-in during his summer vacation, as soon as we met, he kept talking about what he wanted to eat and where he wanted to go, expressing his desires and thoughts," adding, "He said he wanted to eat gukbap and steamed buns, so I bought steamed buns for him every morning."
On the 10th, Tak appeared on CBS's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show' and said, "During his five-year term, I hardly saw former President Moon's private side, but after his term ended, he completely changed," adding, "How can a person have no desires? He was just suppressing and not expressing them."
According to him, during the five-year term, former President Moon never treated Tak comfortably. Even when they were alone, they never had personal conversations or talked beyond work-related matters or gave instructions.
Tak said, "I think former President Moon considered himself a part of the presidential office," adding, "He neither praised me nor spoke informally to me, but what was even more incomprehensible was that he did not treat me comfortably even when we were alone." He continued, "I think it might be easier to make objective, valid, and rational decisions if the president perceives himself not as an individual or a human being but as a part of the presidential office."
The first task Tak undertook related to former President Moon was creating the presidential entrance march, 'Mr. President.' He explained, "Until now, our country did not have a ceremonial march for the president's entrance, so classical music or folk songs like 'Gunbam Taryeong' were used, which was somewhat disorganized," adding, "The entrance march symbolizes authority, meaning, national pride, and dignity, so I thought it was the most necessary task to do first." He added, "Countries like the U.S. have 'Hail to the Chief,' and the U.K. has 'God Save the King'; most countries have a ceremonial march symbolizing their president."
In the book 'Mr. President,' which Tak recently wrote, there is a sentence: 'I heard that I was putting on a show throughout the past five years. Most of the criticism was politically motivated. But I did not find that phrase so bad.' When the host asked about the meaning behind this sentence, Tak replied, "It's sincere. I've said this many times here, but how can it be bad to say someone who is a protocol secretary is putting on a show?"
Although he found it difficult to pick the best event he organized during former President Moon's term, he said, "I regretted not being able to hold the inauguration and farewell ceremonies for former President Moon." He added, "Around the end of the term, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's farewell event was widely talked about. Watching that, I wanted to hold a farewell event, but in the end, I couldn't."
Tak Hyun-min, Protocol Secretary at the Blue House (right), is entering the Yeongbingwan at the Blue House with former President Moon Jae-in on July 14, 2020, where the 'Korean New Deal National Report Conference' is being held. [Photo by Yonhap News]
Regarding the current administration's events, he said, "Recently, I have not been watching them. I am afraid my evaluations might be harsh," adding, "To evaluate, there needs to be a certain level, and there must be room for correction or acceptance to have a conversation."
Tak said, "People often misunderstand, but I hope the Yoon Suk-yeol administration succeeds and does well," explaining, "Having worked as a national public servant, I think national power or government is like a continuous relay."
He added, "Looking at the Yoon Suk-yeol administration, it seems they do not have an attitude to accept that, and efforts to improve are not visible," and said, "In that case, I thought that if I kept adding my comments, it would sound very unpleasant."
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