By Oh Young-jin
City Editor

I don't find fault with what some say were "silly" questions that Evan Ramstad, Seoul correspondent for The Wall Street Journal, asked Finance Minister Yoon Jeung-hyun during a briefing at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) on Monday.

After all, it is the primary job of a reporter to ask tough questions on the behalf of the general public and provide news on the basis of them to readers, in the process increasing the transparency and accountability of the actions by those in power.

But, as a member of the community he or she belongs to, a position that even journalists can't avoid, Ramstad's behavior leaves a lot to be desired.

First, journalists' role is to bring news to the readers, not to themselves.

But the Journal's correspondent turned himself into an overnight celebrity in the negative sense of the word. Many Korean newspapers covered his act either as an antic by an "ugly" foreigner who does not care the first thing about proper manners or with a despising intone used in dealing with a missionary of the medieval period sent to the hinterland of South America to convert the natives.

I don't believe that either of the descriptions exactly does him justice but, as journalists, we know that perceptions sometimes supersede realities. Thus, these descriptions may weaken the credibility of the Journal's articles in general and those of Ramstad in particular.

After all, the readers have a particularly selective memory for things that strike them as being odd. At a time when the print media is losing its footprint amid a change of media triggered by the all-mighty Internet, I think that I can speak for many newspaper readers, when I say I don't want to see the Journal relegated in the credibility of its contents into those of a tabloid. Its format has turned into a tabloid but I still want to believe that its reports are as reliable as when it was printed on broadsheets or before Rupert Murdoch took over.

Secondly, the FCC is a loose-knit fraternity of over 200 journalists, including representatives of many nations' news organizations.

I wonder whether other members agree with Ramstad's line of questioning and don't mind getting lumped together in a broad stroke as reporters sharing his standard. The same question will go to former and current FCC members, who played a key role in Korea's democratization at the height of authoritarian rule.

On the basis of what has been reported about Ramstad's behavior, the general public may have a reason to see FCC members in a negative manner.

Then, there is the issue of cultural sensibilities that apply to foreigners.

It goes without saying that all journalists should try their best to protect the freedom of the press because it is the primary reason for the existence of their job ― the fourth estate guarding the health of society. How to do the job sometimes proves to be as important as the contents of an article.

Etiquette differs from one place to another. A mild hand stroke on the head of a child means a show of approval in Korea but is a taboo in Thailand. Some Americans call their parents by their first name but, to Koreans, that would be unthinkable. Westerners may call somebody by a hand gesture with palm skyward and pulling their fingers inward repeatedly; Koreans take that hand gesture as an insult. When they use a hand gesture for calling, the palm should face the ground.

In other words, even journalists may not completely ignore the rules of a place he is assigned to.

But more important than all of the above, his behavior ended up taking the legitimacy out of his questions.

It is true that the "room salon" culture gives a snapshot of Korea's male-dominated landscape, which is obviously diminishing the potential contributions of women.

Minister Yoon's defense, citing the increasing number of women prosecutors, can be taken to be superficial.

According to reports, Ramstad followed up with another question, asking Yoon what standard is applied to finance ministry officials who are taken on a room salon trip by corporate officials.

Did his line of questioning have anything to do with disparities Korean women face as claimed by him on the International Women's Day or was it intended to embarrass the minister as a showoff? I want to leave this question unanswered not for his sake but for all other journalists' benefit.

Or perhaps, his behavior manifested his frustrations about a difficulty in gaining access to privy information as a foreign journalist or the "third-year" blues felt by foreign correspondents, when they live in another country for a long period of time. I understand some of the harsh feelings about the way the Korean government or society treat them, cherry-picking favorable stories without giving them credit and pouncing on them when they write critically. But that is another matter.

I still want to give Ramstad the benefit of doubt.

foolsdie@koreatimes.co.kr