Presidential Office Denies Reports of "Hwang Sang-moo's Voluntary Resignation" as Inaccurate

Dismissal of Controversy Over Position Through Press Corps Announcement

On the 18th, the Presidential Office stated that the report by Munhwa Ilbo claiming that Hwang Sang-mu, the Senior Secretary for Civil Society at the Presidential Office, who was involved in the controversy over his 'journalist knife terror' remarks, was set to resign voluntarily, is "not true regarding the personnel matters on the front page of the Presidential Office."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The Presidential Office spokesperson's office conveyed this through a notice to the press corps on the same day.

That day, Munhwa Ilbo reported that "the theory of 'inevitable resignation' is spreading within the Presidential Office," and that Hwang was set to resign voluntarily.

Amid pressure from ruling party figures such as Han Dong-hoon, the Emergency Committee Chairman of the People Power Party, and Kim Eun-hye, former Senior Secretary for Public Relations at the Presidential Office, urging Hwang to decide on his own position, the Presidential Office also expressed its stance on Hwang's remarks that morning.

At that time, the Presidential Office explained, "Our government's national philosophy is to thoroughly respect freedom of the press and the responsibility of media organizations," adding, "In particular, the Presidential Office has never exerted any coercion or pressure on media personnel regarding specific issues, nor will it do so."