South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol Face Critics Over banning Journalists On Plane
Following the exclusion of the MBC TV team from the nation’s presidential plane press pool, Yoon Suk Yeol, president of South Korea, has come under fire for allegedly undermining press freedom.
The MBC has been accused by Mr. Yoon’s administration of “serial distortion and biased reporting” on diplomatic matters, which the president argues damages the nation’s relations with the United States.
President Joe Biden and Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol had a meeting in September.
After the meeting, he said that MBC had aired a video clip that falsely implied the president was criticizing US Congressmen, hurting relations between the two nations.
As a result, during his planned trips to Cambodia and Indonesia for meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Group of 20 leading affluent and developing countries, his office said that it would not offer “reporting assistance” to the MBC broadcaster.
However, the MBC announced that, in order to “preserve the public’s right to know,” it will independently deploy its correspondents on commercial aircraft to cover Mr. Yoon Suk Yeol‘s journey.
A group of journalists from the National Union of Media Workers and the Journalists Association of Korea support the media outlet.
The coalition asked the individuals responsible for the prohibition to resign and urged that the presidency end the “unconstitutional and ahistorical limitation on reporting.”
The organizations claimed in a statement that “the presidential jet is run with taxpayer money, and each media outlet pays with their own money to meet the reporting costs.” “Reporting and observing how the president performs public responsibilities and duties as a public figure are vital components of democracy.”
“We cannot contain our shock that the presidential office mistakes reporters’ use of the presidential plane with use of private property and regards it as charity offered by Yoon Suk Yeol the individual,” the statement continued.
