BBC Correspondent: "Yoon's Press Conference Unsatisfactory... Did Not Answer Questions"

Questions on the Decline of Press Freedom in Korea

Photo by BBC News Korea capture

Jin Mackenzie, the BBC's Seoul correspondent, shared her candid thoughts on President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2nd anniversary press conference through BBC News Korea on the 9th.

In the video titled 'President Yoon's Press Conference Through the Eyes of a BBC Correspondent,' Mackenzie was asked, "Are you satisfied with President Yoon's answers?" She replied, "No. I was not satisfied. In fact, he did not answer my questions."

She described the presidential press conference, held after 1 year and 9 months, as a very rare occurrence. Regarding the atmosphere of the press conference, she explained, "He did not give clear answers to many questions." She added, "President Yoon responded vaguely and safely to the questions," and "He knew what questions would be asked and was well prepared." She further elaborated, "This was completely different from the unexpected remarks he made early in his term."

Mackenzie pointed out that this press conference was held after the ruling party received a poor result in the general election. She said, "The criticism toward President Yoon is that he does not communicate with the people," and added, "I think this press conference was meant to show that the president is listening to critical voices and intends to change his communication style."

During the press conference, Mackenzie asked President Yoon, "The Russian ambassador recently said that South Korea is the most friendly among unfriendly countries. Russia is militarily cooperating with North Korea; what is the red line that cannot be overlooked?" She expected that if President Yoon evaded the question, he would mention the sanctions the South Korean government has pursued or efforts to isolate Russia. However, she explained, "The president emphasized how important the relationship with Russia is and said he wants to cooperate with Russia, which was surprising. I think it implies something."

Photo by BBC News Korea capture

When asked if there was another question she wanted to ask President Yoon, Mackenzie answered, "It was about freedom of the press in South Korea." She said, "Through various reports and studies, it has been reported that freedom of the press in South Korea has declined during President Yoon's tenure. This issue has been seriously addressed and criticized by domestic media in South Korea as well. I wanted to ask that question and hoped other journalists would ask it too."