Prime Minister Han on Whether to Exclude Some Media from Official Plane During Overseas Trips: "I Have No Such Intention"

Presidential Office says "It is appropriate to check with Yongsan" regarding 'MBC exclusive plane boarding denial'

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said on the 10th regarding the Presidential Office's decision to prohibit an MBC reporter from boarding the presidential aircraft during President Yoon Suk-yeol's Southeast Asia tour (11th?16th), "It is more appropriate to check with Yongsan (Presidential Office) about why such a decision was made."

Prime Minister Han avoided giving a direct answer during a press briefing held at the Government Seoul Office Building that afternoon.

However, when asked whether he was considering suspending some media from boarding the presidential aircraft during the Prime Minister's overseas trips, he replied, "I am not considering such an idea."

In response to a reporter's question about the Itaewon crowd crush tragedy, asking, "There is criticism that the investigation into the tragedy might be a scapegoating effort to hold the police and fire department responsible. What do you think about this?" he dismissed the concern, saying, "I will recommend to the President that strict responsibility be imposed on anyone involved, in harmony with the investigation results."

When asked, "If political responsibility is necessary, do you intend to decide on your position as Prime Minister?" Han emphasized, "I believe no one is exempt from taking measures according to the responsibility determined by the investigation results."

Regarding the police reform mentioned by Prime Minister Han during the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters (CDSCH) meeting on the Itaewon tragedy that morning, he explained, "We need to comprehensively review whether there are institutional shortcomings in police duties to ensure that such incidents never happen again and to establish a system that truly serves the people." However, he did not specify which parts of the police would be reformed.

Emphasizing cooperation with the opposition parties, Prime Minister Han said, "The executive branch has repeatedly requested the establishment of a system to review the regulatory impact of bills proposed by lawmakers in advance, and recently, Representative Kim Tae-nyeon (Democratic Party) and Representative Sung Il-jong (People Power Party) have introduced legislation."

He added, "The government intends to continue persuading the National Assembly to ensure this system is legislated. I believe this is a positive and future-oriented model of cooperation for the country."

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