Yoon: "Communication with the media is communication with the people... Will listen carefully to harsh criticism"

Attendance at the 66th Newspaper Day Commemoration Ceremony and Celebration Banquet

President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol is delivering a congratulatory speech at the 66th Newspaper Day ceremony held at the Korea Press Center on the afternoon of the 6th. [Photo by Office of the President-elect Spokesperson]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] President-elect Yoon Seok-yeol pledged on the 6th, commemorating the 66th Newspaper Day, "I believe communication with the media ultimately means communication with the people, and I will continue to listen carefully to suggestions and constructive criticism from the media, which most accurately reads public sentiment."

On the afternoon of the same day, Yoon attended the 66th Newspaper Day commemorative ceremony and celebration held at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, where he made these remarks. He emphasized, "I believe freedom of the press is a great driving force for our society to change in a better direction," adding, "It is fundamental to monitor power to prevent corruption, and freedom of the press is also very important in securing diversity, which is a vital asset of the nation and society."

President-elect Yoon also said, "Through newspapers, we encounter diverse voices in the economy, society, culture, education, and more, and the diversity formed therein makes our society healthier. Newspapers are the core that leads knowledge civilization in any society," adding, "By sharing information and culture worldwide, their role in strengthening responsibility and solidarity as global citizens is also very significant."

In his greeting to journalists, he said, "Today, the growth and development of liberal democracy are hard to imagine without the birth and popularization of newspapers brought about by printing technology," and expressed his repeated gratitude for their hard work, saying, "Despite difficult conditions, you have become the eyes and ears of the people with a strong sense of mission toward truthful and fair reporting."

The Newspaper Day commemorative ceremony was jointly hosted by the Korea Newspaper Association, the Korea Newspaper Editors Association, and the Korea Journalists Association. According to the Newspaper Association, Chairman Lim Chae-cheong said in his welcoming speech, "The newspaper industry is facing considerable difficulties due to the unprecedented long COVID-19 pandemic," emphasizing, "This is not only a situation in our country, and it is necessary to closely observe various efforts by advanced countries to support the media, especially the newspaper industry, to prevent the shrinking of the democratic public discourse arena."

He added, "Today’s event is also a moment for us newspaper people to reflect on ourselves and straighten our attitudes," and introduced the inaugural address of the Independent Newspaper from 126 years ago, which still inspires them today, saying, "The inaugural address states, 'First, it is not biased, so it does not belong to any faction, and it does not treat people differently based on status or rank.'"

Chairman Lim urged the media to fulfill the original role of newspapers, saying, "Even as times change, environments shift, and people differ, a newspaper remains a newspaper, and the media remains the media."

Meanwhile, at the event, Shin Il-dong, Head of the Marketing Headquarters’ Edu & Biz Department of this publication, received the 2022 Newspaper Association Award.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.