Controversy over a Journalist’s Question to Moon: Not changing the economic policy despite people having difficulties. Where does such confidence come from?

2019-4-24 Updated. Tara O

The YouTube video in this article disappeared. So here’s a photo.

2019-1-12, Tara O

President Moon Jae-in held a New Year’s press conference at the Blue House on January 10, 2019

The question posed by the reporter Kim Ye-ryeoung (김예령), Kyonggi Broadcast Corporation [a private corporation] has become a hot topic, and was trending on Naver and other popular portals in South Korea.

https://youtu.be/SN_gi5TKLFk

Reporter Kim Ye-ryeoung asked:

[You said you will] create a society in which a dragon emerges from a sewer [rags to riches], but I believe you know well that in reality, the public opinion is chilly.  The reality is that the economy is stagnant. The people are suffering a lot. They have not given up hope, but they’re very anxious about the future. Related to this, Mr. president, you have emphasized ‘I’m looking at it very seriously.’ Despite this, Mr. President, [you] have not altered the basic direction of the policy and have not changed, and I’d like to know the reasons.  I’m asking directly, where does that confidence come from and what is the basis for it?

President Moon replied:

I’ve spent the last 30 minutes of today’s press conference explaining why we need the current economic policy and that the sustainable growth is impossible without changing the structure, including polarization [the gap increasing between the high income and the low income groups] and inequality. For that we need to take whatever supplemental measures we need to take, but I already amply said why. On the contrary, we need to continue the current policy. I don’t feel we need a new answer.

Journalist Kim’s question has caused a controversy in South Korea.
Various comments online have attacked her for being “rude” to ask such questions to President Moon while others cheered her for asking what has been on their minds.  Here are some responses:

Criticism:

• Hong Ihk-pyo (홍익표), National Assemblyman, Deoburreo Minju Party, accused her (journalist Kim) of being drunk for being “defiant.”
• Lee Jae-jeong (이재정) National Assemblywoman (Proportional Representative), Deoburreo Minju Party, described her as incompetent.
• KBS journalist Choi [Choi Kyung-young, 최경영] said to have the opportunity to ask a question to the president in itself is a glory, and criticized her [telling her to “study more.”].

Support:

• Park Yong-jin (박용진), Deoburreo Minju Party, said he can’t agree with people who say she has no manners as a journalist, saying even the president wasn’t saying anything (not criticizing) her. A journalist should be able to “bite,” he said.
• Jeon Yeo-ok (전여옥), of former Grand National Party who comes from a journalist background, said “Yesterday during the president’s press conference “show,” the reporter who acted like a true reporter was Kim Ye-ryeong,” she said. “Other Blue House correspondents asked trivial questions, maybe because of the pressure from the [Blue House] secretaries sitting next to them, but she [Kim] was different.”
• A shop owner said he wrote “As a small business owner I really thank her for asking what I wanted to ask” in the comments section of an article criticizing her.
• A journalist said “That’s right. A reporter should be able to ask questions that the news subscribers are curious about without fear…Journalist Kim Ye-ryoung is a real reporter.”

What does this controversy say about the state of the media in South Korea?

Additional (partial) sources on this topic:

https://news.sbs.co.kr/news/endPage.do?news_id=N1005091652

http://www.edaily.co.kr/news/read?newsId=01515366622356736

http://www.kukinews.com/news/article.html?no=621749

https://youtu.be/SN_gi5TKLFk

https://youtu.be/zohGIVVTHMw

2019-1-12, Tara