Yoon Separately Calls Channel A and CBS Reporters on Private Plane... Zero In-Flight Briefings

MBC Reporters Denied Boarding
US-Korea and Korea-Japan Summits Covered by Presidential Office Staff

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Bali (Indonesia) = Asia Economy Reporter Ki-min Lee] President Yoon Suk-yeol denied boarding on the presidential aircraft to MBC reporters, citing distorted and biased reporting related to diplomacy, and it is known that only some reporters were separately called for a conversation on board.

Lee Jae-myung, Deputy Spokesperson of the Presidential Office, stated at a briefing held on the morning of the 15th at the press room set up in Bali, Indonesia, "Many reporters saw a certain media reporter being called forward on Air Force One moving from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Bali, and asked if they had a conversation with the president." He replied, "The president just met with reporters he usually has a connection with and had a discussion on current issues," adding, "It was unrelated to coverage."

After completing the schedule in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on the 13th, President Yoon took off for Bali Airport in Indonesia on the presidential aircraft with the press corps covering the tour. About an hour after takeoff, two reporters, including a Channel A reporter and a CBS reporter, were called by the flight attendants. Several reporters on board said these two returned to their seats about an hour later. The presidential aircraft is divided into the president’s exclusive area and the press corps and entourage area. The two reporters are known to have had past connections covering the president or personal friendships.

President Yoon did not hold an in-flight briefing when moving from Seoul to Phnom Penh and from Phnom Penh to Bali, raising fairness concerns among some reporters. Previously, during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) tour, President Yoon came out to the press corps boarding area on the aircraft and had conversations with reporters.

President Yoon’s refusal to allow MBC on the presidential aircraft, the absence of in-flight press briefings when moving from Seoul to Phnom Penh and Phnom Penh to Bali, and the fact that staff members from the Presidential Office (exclusive personnel) covered the scenes of the Korea-U.S. and Korea-Japan summit meetings instead of the press corps and shared the information with them have all sparked various controversies over restrictions on coverage.

However, the Presidential Office explained, "The exclusive coverage by the Presidential Office was conducted based on prior consultations between the two countries," adding, "One country cannot unilaterally decide the method of coverage or reporting." When a reporter asked, "There are reports that Japan’s tour press corps covered the Korea-Japan summit," a Presidential Office official responded, "That is groundless."

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