Reporters Lost 33 Million Won Due to Biden's Sudden Cancellation of Trip to Australia

Biden Suddenly Shortens Overseas Trip... Cancels Australia Visit
Reporters Lose Charter Flights, Accommodation, and Local Transportation Costs

U.S. President Joe Biden's sudden decision to shorten his overseas trip has put reporters who were preparing to cover the visit at risk of losing more than 30 million won.

According to a report by The Washington Post (WP) on the 19th (local time), President Biden was scheduled to attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit held in Hiroshima, Japan from the 19th to the 21st, followed by a visit to Australia.

Media outlets arranged a charter flight from Hiroshima to Australia to cover the event. The total cost of the charter flight prepared by the White House Travel Office (WHTO) for the press was $760,000 (approximately 1.096 billion won), with 55 reporters who reserved seats expected to pay about $14,000 (approximately 18.5 million won) each.

However, on the 16th, the White House announced, "President Biden will not visit Australia and will return home to negotiate with the Republicans on the debt ceiling."

In response, Tamara Keith, president of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), informed reporters that "each person will lose a $7,700 deposit and may have to pay the remaining costs as well."

President Joe Biden of the United States
[Photo by Yonhap News]

Reporters incurred expenses not only for airfare but also for accommodations, ground transportation, and local press rooms necessary for coverage in Australia. Additionally, they had to cancel their tickets from Sydney to Washington, D.C., and book new flights from Hiroshima to Washington, D.C., which is expected to generate further costs.

Considering all these factors, the estimated loss per reporter could be up to $25,000 (approximately 33 million won).

Keith stated that the WHCA is "trying to recover some of the costs, but it is uncertain how much will be refunded."

She added, "When the president visits foreign countries during budget or debt ceiling crises, schedules can change. We hope such situations do not occur, but it is a risk we inevitably have to bear."

WP noted, "This case illustrates how enormous the costs are for media outlets to cover the president's overseas visits," pointing out that charter flight expenses have become so expensive that only wealthy media companies can afford them.

It also added, "Many media outlets have already reduced the number of reporters covering the president's overseas visits or rely on sharing coverage content within the press corps due to cost issues."

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