Son Seokhee, who said he was "distressed during the Jo Guk incident"... "Jo Guk, was there no other choice?"

Published 18 Nov.2021 15:58(KST)

"All media outlets were going through a difficult situation, I believe"

Former JTBC anchor Sohn Seok-hee. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim So-young] Former JTBC 'Newsroom' anchor Sohn Seok-hee expressed regret regarding former Minister Cho Kuk during the 'Cho Kuk incident,' saying, "I don't know if there was no other choice at that time, but I wonder if there were other options either from the government level or personally."

Before departing on the 18th as a JTBC roving correspondent, Sohn visited MBC Radio's 'Focus'?which he hosted for 13 years?and during a conversation about his recently published book 'Scenes,' he said, "This is something I think about after everything has passed," adding, "There was some contemplation about that."

When asked by the host if he mentioned the so-called Cho Kuk incident briefly in the book with the implication that it was painful, he responded, "I think all media were going through a difficult situation."

He continued, "Although I mentioned it briefly in the book, at that time, everything was converging on former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk and former Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-youl," adding, "I don't think that was a very healthy structure."

He added, "Of course, there were people who worked hard, but what I regretted was that we and other media should have focused more on the issue of prosecutorial reform," saying, "Because that was the essence."

He also said, "Everyone remembers, but public opinion on prosecutorial reform was quite high at that time," and continued, "After a long time and all kinds of struggles, I don't know if the legitimacy of prosecutorial reform is being emphasized as much as it was then, but at least I think it should have been that way."

When the host asked, "Did it hurt when viewers who supported JTBC poured out various opinions after reports related to former Minister Cho came out?" Sohn replied, "I have always thought about the idea of Jujuban-jeong (砥柱反正: If a strong pillar stands firm like a rock, the world will return to a proper state). That will remain the same going forward," adding, "I think my juniors feel the same way."