Resumption of Doorstepping Just One Day After Suspension...Aware of Criticism Over "COVID Excuse"?

"Communication Halted at 30% Approval, Coincidental" Criticism
President Yoon Resumes 'Remote Press Conference' Just One Day After Temporary Suspension

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] President Yoon Seok-yeol resumed the 'doorstepping (brief morning press conference)' on the 12th, which he had previously announced would be temporarily suspended. The presidential office had stated the day before that they would not hold doorsteppings for the time being, citing 'prevention of COVID-19 spread', but reversed the decision after just one day. This move is interpreted as an attempt to quell criticism from the opposition, who suggested that the suspension was due to a drop in approval ratings.

On the day, President Yoon held a doorstepping as he arrived at the Yongsan office building, contrary to the decision made the previous day. Upon entering the building, he asked reporters, "I said to work from home as much as possible because some of you tested positive for COVID-19 and to protect the safety of those working in the office, but everyone is coming out, right?" It was reported that 11 reporters covering the presidential office had tested positive for COVID-19 the day before.

President Yoon maintained more distance than usual while taking questions from reporters. When a reporter asked, "How about doing doorstepping at this distance?" President Yoon laughed heartily and responded, "If you have questions, ask away." He briefly answered questions related to COVID-19 response measures and public livelihood before moving into his office.

Near the end of the doorstepping, when asked if it would continue the next day, President Yoon expressed willingness to resume by saying, "Is it not okay to do this? If you’re okay with it, let’s do the photo line in a few days."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is answering questions from reporters as he arrives at the Yongsan Presidential Office Building in Seoul on the morning of the 8th. / Yonhap News

Earlier, when the presidential office announced the temporary suspension of doorstepping due to the spread of COVID-19, the opposition criticized it, saying, "COVID-19 is just an excuse; the real reason is the drop in approval ratings to the 30% range." Woo Sang-ho, Emergency Committee Chairman of the Democratic Party, called the COVID-19 excuse "nonsense" and said, "It seems they evaluated that several verbal slips led to the drop in approval ratings, but it would be more honest to say they are considering a more refined approach."

Shin Hyun-young, spokesperson for the Democratic Party, also criticized, saying, "Today, when it was announced that President Yoon’s positive evaluation of state affairs was only in the 30% range, the timing of the doorstepping suspension announcement is very coincidental," adding, "The symbolic communication efforts of President Yoon were the presidential office relocation and doorstepping. This can only be understood as stopping communication with the public under the pretext of COVID-19."

Analysts interpret President Yoon’s resumption of doorstepping after just one day as an attempt to dismiss such criticism from the opposition. Since President Yoon has emphasized communication, suspending doorstepping could be seen as breaking a promise.

However, the fact that doorstepping is cited as a cause of the president’s declining approval ratings presents a dilemma. Because questions and answers are exchanged spontaneously without prior coordination, unrefined remarks and gestures have sometimes been exposed, causing controversy. A representative example was on the morning of the 4th, when asked about the vetting of ministerial candidates, President Yoon responded, "Have you ever seen such an excellent minister nominated by the previous administration?"

Yoo In-tae, former Secretary General of the National Assembly, said in an interview with SBS's 'Joo Young-jin’s News Briefing,' "The president’s approval rating is falling because he shows arrogance during doorstepping," and criticized, "Whenever the president speaks during doorstepping, the presidential office has to clarify that 'that was not the intended meaning.' If this happens every time, it means there was a problem with all the remarks."

Nevertheless, many in the political sphere seem to believe that President Yoon should resume doorstepping after some adjustments rather than stopping it altogether. Although there have been mistakes and controversies during doorstepping, the format of impromptu press conferences has been widely regarded as a fresh attempt not seen in previous administrations. Jin Joong-kwon, former professor at Dongyang University, pointed to doorstepping as a cause of President Yoon’s approval rating decline on CBS Radio’s 'One Round Match,' but advised, "I hope it is done after proper preparation and training to express refined positions."

On the other hand, some argue that attitude is more important than format. Lee Jun-han, professor of political science and diplomacy at Incheon National University, said, "We cannot say communication problems have improved just because brief press conferences were held. The suspension of doorstepping and selective communication show that," adding, "It’s not about holding or not holding brief press conferences, but about training the president’s language and demeanor."

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