Park's spokesman Yoon takes flak

By Yi Whan-woo

Yoon Chang-jung Chief spokesman

Yoon Chang-jung, the often acerbic journalist tapped as President-elect Park Geun-hye’s chief spokesman, came under criticism Tuesday for his history of frank opinions.

Following his appointment Monday, the main opposition Democratic United Party (DUP) immediately called for Park to drop her selection.

Yoon, 56, apologized for his acid comments during a press conference at the ruling Saenuri Party’s headquarters in Yeouido, Seoul.

“I regret emotionally hurting a number of people through my writing,” he said.

He cemented his reputation as a conservative columnist during his journalistic career in both print and broadcast media for nearly 30 years. Now, he faces challenges to exercise his communicative competence for Park who seeks to unite people divided along conservative and liberal lines.

Yoon’s main mission is to deliver Park’s thoughts accurately, especially regarding her policies of uniting the people in the aftermath of the election. Of the total voters, 48 percent of them gave support to her DUP contender Moon Jae-in, while the other 51.6 percent voted for her.

Concern, however, has been raised as he has shown a biased view against liberals.

Yoon wrote Park will turn out to be a principled, responsible and credible leader in his column on Dec. 20. On the other hand, he disparaged Moon as the “leader of anti-South Korea forces” in his column on Dec. 17. He also referred to the liberal parties as a “filthy group of people from the sewer.”

The DUP claimed the nation will become ultra-conservative if Yoon remains as the chief spokesman.

He mostly covered politics throughout his career after he began his career with The Korea Times in 1981. He covered international news at the Korea Broadcasting System, but returned as a domestic political reporter in Segye Ilbo newspaper, before working as a columnist at the Moonhwa Ilbo between 1999 and January this year.

His criticism mainly centered on liberal politicians, including DUP members. But he also made poignant comments on conservatives, including Park. In 2011, he criticized her for failing to draw out full-fledged support from members of the Saenuri Party, a number of who were followers of President Lee Myung-bak.

Park, however, reportedly gave credit to Yoon. Observers said she paid special attention to his criticism against her and regularly read his columns.

On his blog the same day he wrote that he “gave many thoughts” to accepting the role. Yoon previously said he would never enter the political arena when he quit the Moonhwa Ilbo, an evening daily newspaper, early this year.

The online columnist, however, then added that he had changed his mind, saying, “I could not turn down the offer because the success of the government is for the country which I’ve been so concerned about.”

“Making the Park Geun-hye administration a successful government is my mission,” said the veteran journalist after he was appointed by the President-elect on Monday.

“My fellow readers, please bear with me because I will not disappoint you,” he wrote.