Will Moon ditch his `competent' event planner?

By Sah Dong-seok

The five-year policy roadmap, unveiled last week by President Moon Jae-in's de facto transition committee, drew attention because it envisioned policies much different from those carried out by the previous conservative administration. Equally notable, however, was how the roadmap was disclosed to the public at Cheong Wa Dae.

To help boost people's understanding of policies, speakers, wearing a wireless microphone, gave a presentation with their back to a big screen. Presenters, including President Moon, didn't put on a tie and carried no script. There was no formality, and it looked as if Korea had shied away from authoritarianism and moved toward brisk communication _ rapidly. Later, the liberal leader reportedly expressed considerable satisfaction with how the event was organized.

Since the inauguration of the new government, there has been a big change in what was neglected before _ how its messages are delivered. That's probably because Moon and his close aides have really come to realize the importance of ''image politics.''

The former human rights lawyer was seen getting coffee in person during his first meeting of senior presidential secretaries upon taking office in May. The presidential office has installed an electronic bulletin board showing the country's employment status in his office, highlighting the emphasis the new President and his government place on job creation. A famed actress made an emotional memorial speech at an event to commemorate the May 18 pro-democracy movement.

Standing behind all these untypical occurrences is Tak Hyun-min, a senior administrative staffer for event planning at the office of the presidential protocol secretary.

Tak, 43, was a performing arts planner who created ''Naggomsu,'' a famous podcast that lampooned political leaders. He came to know Moon first in 2009 when he directed a memorial concert for the late President Roh Moo-hyun, Moon's mentor. Recognized for his ability following his successful planning of several political events, Tak organized a ''Book Concert'' in 2011 for Moon's autobiography ''(The) Fate of Moon Jae-in,'' which helped elevate him to an opposition presidential candidate.

He took charge of planning events related to Moon's election campaigns in 2012 and this year, and accompanied Moon on a trek to the Himalayas last year. Tak is said to be excellent in featuring Moon in ways to stimulate people's emotions. He is even reported to coach the President on how to say hello and shake hands.

But only a few months after entering the presidential office, he is facing a crisis of leaving Cheong Wa Dae owing to his allegedly biased views on women that came to light through books published a long time ago.

In his book ''Guidebook of Men's Mind,'' he expressed support for prostitution, which is illegal in Korea, and defamed women as a tool to satisfy men's sexual desire. In another book, he wrote about his first experience of sexual intercourse with a middle school student and even said he had ''shared'' the young girl with his classmates.

Tak said his views toward women have changed greatly over the past decade and explained that many of his narratives were fictitious. But accusations against his extreme sexism and defamations against women are so intense that the odds seemed to be stacked against him.

Even female lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party of Korea have called for his resignation, saying his outrageous statements were intolerable. At a confirmation hearing earlier this month, then Minister of Gender Equality and Family nominee Chung Hyun-back said she would ask Moon, the self-claimed feminist head of state, to dismiss Tak as soon as she takes office. Rep. Lee Hye-hoon, head of the minor conservative opposition Bareun Party, asked Moon face to face at a luncheon meeting the President hosted for party leaders last week to sack Tak.

But Tak has been undaunted amid no signs that Cheong Wa Dae will remove him. This is quite unusual, considering that Prof. Kim Ki-jung of Yonsei University, who had been tapped as the second deputy chief of Cheong Wa Dae's National Security Office, quit immediately after women's organizations accused him of alleged sexual misconduct while at college.

There are voices defending Tak _ accusations against him are mostly based on what he claimed in books he published while he was still immature.

Even more realistically, he is said to be doing a good job as an event planner at a time when the new President needs to build a good and impressive image. President Moon has come up with a series of left-leaning policies, including the temporary shutdown of partly completed nuclear reactors, disliked by conservatives. But his approval ratings have remained firm, and Tak is credited with having contributed to this.

More important, Moon's close aides at the presidential office seem to be protecting him despite an outpouring of accusations against him from the ruling camp. Tak is among a handful of early members who gathered to make Moon the president last year, and their solidarity may be partly behind his continuous presence at Cheong Wa Dae.

But Moon's possible obsession with Tak is ominous indeed, considering that the impeached President Park Geun-hye ruined the country as a consequence of depending heavily on her inner circle. In fact, Rep. Chung Woo-taik, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, sarcastically likened Tak to Woo Byung-woo, who allegedly abused his power as Park's senior secretary for civil affairs.

Tak is a relatively low-ranked official, so too much caution against him may seem overly exaggerated. But Moon needs to nip the problem in the bud to show the dignity of his administration.

The writer is the executive editor of The Korea Times. Contact him at sahds@ktimes.com.