"Tail-cutting style accountability"
"Thought that a spokesperson can be absent for about 5 months"
[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Ji-eun] Park Su-hyun, the last Chief of Public Communication under the Moon Jae-in administration, expressed that he was "very puzzled" by former presidential spokesperson Lee Jae-myung’s voluntary resignation and speculated that it might have been taking responsibility for President Yoon Seok-yeol’s remark that "Iran is an enemy." Regarding the spokesperson position remaining vacant for five months, he criticized, "It is neglecting the opportunity and channel for the public to ask questions through the media for five months."
On the 31st, on MBC's 'Kim Jong-bae's Focus,' Park said, "Leaks of the president’s overseas trip schedules have happened occasionally, so I questioned whether this alone was a reason to submit a resignation."
According to the presidential office, former deputy spokesperson Lee voluntarily resigned recently, taking responsibility for the leak of President Yoon’s itinerary during his overseas visits to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Switzerland from the 14th to the 21st. However, Park considered the occasional leaks of trip schedules insufficient grounds for resignation.
He explained, "Typically, when the president travels abroad, reporters covering the presidential office report internally within their media companies. Because they need to prepare reports, the schedule is shared in advance. During this internal reporting process, leaks sometimes occur through messengers or other means. I recall that on October 29, 2021, we also experienced a leak."
He added, "When the president spoke about the responsibility of Minister Lee Sang-min related to the Itaewon tragedy, he said, 'Responsibility should be asked directly of those who are responsible. It is impossible in modern society to vaguely say everyone is responsible.' So, is it appropriate to ask this deputy spokesperson to take moral responsibility and resign, and to accept the resignation?"
Park prefaced his personal opinion by speculating, "When the president visited the UAE, didn’t he make a serious diplomatic remark that 'the enemy of the UAE is Iran'? This was said during an internal schedule encouraging our military personnel, so perhaps that is the responsibility being held accountable for."
However, this scene was part of an internal schedule but was disclosed through KTV and other channels. Park said, "The presidential press corps’ pool team probably filmed that scene, or the presidential office’s exclusive team filmed and released it. So, isn’t the responsibility about why they failed to control problematic remarks in advance? I can’t think of any other reason."
He said that if his assumption is correct, then Kim Eun-hye, the Chief of Public Relations, should be held responsible. Park stated, "If they hold such responsibility and dismiss the Chief of Public Relations as well, it means fully acknowledging the presidential office’s legal and moral responsibility. From my perspective, it seems like they shifted the blame onto this deputy spokesperson."
Currently, the presidential office faces an unprecedented situation with both the spokesperson and deputy spokesperson positions vacant after the deputy spokesperson’s resignation, leaving the spokesperson role unfilled for five months. Park called this "an incomprehensible situation" and said, "During the Moon Jae-in administration, the Chief of Public Relations was called the Chief of Public Communication. Communication is not about one-way promotion or public relations where the presidential office or president’s opinions are unilaterally delivered to the public, but a process where after speaking to the public, their feedback is well received. That is true communication."
He continued, "Now, the president defines it directly, so the Chief of Public Relations Office unilaterally delivers messages to the public, still stuck in the old promotion or public relations system. This perception might be why they think 'it’s okay to have no spokesperson for about five months,' leading to the current spokesperson vacancy crisis."
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