By Kim Se-jeong
Reporters covering the presidential office have often been the target of criticism for failing to ask President Park Geun-hye questions.
On Tuesday when President Park was leaving the briefing room after finishing her third address to the nation regarding the corruption scandal involving her and her friend Choi Soon-sil, several reporters desperately raised their hands to ask questions.
One reporter shouted: "Do you admit the prosecution's allegation that you are a conspirator in the scandal?"
Without answering the question, she only said, "I am sure there will be another occasion soon to speak about it." Then she hurried out of the room.
Over the last four years in office, Park, notorious for her lack of communication, has rarely held press conferences. She has only held them at New Year.
In the one in January this year that lasted for over an hour, Park held a rare question and answer (Q&A) session, taking questions from 12 reporters.
However, Cheong Wa Dae collected the questions from journalists in advance and scripted her answers. The order of questions and which journalists would ask them was also preset.
She has never allowed a free Q&A session.
Reuters correspondent James Pearson tweeted: "Every time it is a carefully scripted staged event, sadly."
Some local news outlets refused to attend Tuesday's nationally televised press conference as they knew she wouldn't answer any questions.
Park has not seemed confident without a script at many public events including discussions, often failing to complete unscripted sentences. When dealing with unexpected questions on some occasions, she kept missing the point. The number of press conferences she has held is also much lower than those of her predecessors.
Former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun held 150 press conferences each, and Lee Myung-bak, 20. But Park has held less than 10.
At the end of the conference Tuesday, presidential secretaries assured journalists the President would hold another one soon — as early as next week.
People are already urging journalists covering Cheong Wa Dae to boycott any press event if there is no Q&A session.
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| President Park Geun-hye leaves the briefing room at Cheong Wa Dae after delivering a speech about the influence-peddling scandal involving her aides, while a journalist raises a hand to ask the President to take questions, Tuesday. Park, as usual, refused to do so. / Korea Times photo by Koh Young-kwon |
On Tuesday when President Park was leaving the briefing room after finishing her third address to the nation regarding the corruption scandal involving her and her friend Choi Soon-sil, several reporters desperately raised their hands to ask questions.
One reporter shouted: "Do you admit the prosecution's allegation that you are a conspirator in the scandal?"
Without answering the question, she only said, "I am sure there will be another occasion soon to speak about it." Then she hurried out of the room.
Over the last four years in office, Park, notorious for her lack of communication, has rarely held press conferences. She has only held them at New Year.
In the one in January this year that lasted for over an hour, Park held a rare question and answer (Q&A) session, taking questions from 12 reporters.
However, Cheong Wa Dae collected the questions from journalists in advance and scripted her answers. The order of questions and which journalists would ask them was also preset.
She has never allowed a free Q&A session.
Reuters correspondent James Pearson tweeted: "Every time it is a carefully scripted staged event, sadly."
Some local news outlets refused to attend Tuesday's nationally televised press conference as they knew she wouldn't answer any questions.
Park has not seemed confident without a script at many public events including discussions, often failing to complete unscripted sentences. When dealing with unexpected questions on some occasions, she kept missing the point. The number of press conferences she has held is also much lower than those of her predecessors.
Former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-hyun held 150 press conferences each, and Lee Myung-bak, 20. But Park has held less than 10.
At the end of the conference Tuesday, presidential secretaries assured journalists the President would hold another one soon — as early as next week.
People are already urging journalists covering Cheong Wa Dae to boycott any press event if there is no Q&A session.
