Reporter's notebook Is foreign affairs reserved only for foreign correspondents?
President Yoon Suk Yeol shakes hands with reporters after finishing his press conference to commemorate the second anniversary of his presidency at the presidential office in Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times reporter Nam Hyun-woo, back row right, frowns as Yoon did not take South Korean news outlets' questions on foreign affairs. Yonhap
President Yoon Suk Yeol had his first press conference in 631 days on Thursday, but the general assessment seems disappointed, with many reporters at the event saying it wasn’t worth the wait, particularly regarding diplomacy and foreign affairs.
During the 70-minute question-and-answer session of the press conference, Yoon took four questions related to foreign affairs. Presidential spokesperson Kim Soo-kyung gave chances only to four foreign correspondents, dismissing dozens of reporters from domestic news outlets who raised their hands desperately, and moved on to the next question category.
There was no pre-arranged notice to the press corps covering the presidential office, nor a process of asking reporters from domestic news outlets to understand the time constraints. The spokesperson smoothly picked correspondents from Reuters, BBC, AFP and Nikkei without hesitation, as if it was obvious that only foreign correspondents would get the chance to ask questions on foreign affairs.
When Yoon finished his press conference and exchanged handshakes with attending reporters, this reporter made a small and diffident complaint to him — while remembering previous cases of presidential security dragging out those making intimidating gestures toward Yoon.
“It seems a little odd to take foreign affairs-related questions only from foreign correspondents,” this reporter said, while shaking hands cautiously with Yoon. The president smiled and replied: “Maybe we can do it again later.”
It is obvious for the president to take questions from foreign correspondents, and natural for the presidential aides to expect that foreign news outlets would focus on diplomatic issues. Former presidents also answered foreign correspondents’ questions during press conferences, but they did not exclude domestic news outlets from the chance to ask questions on diplomatic matters.
During the press conference, foreign correspondents asked questions on international matters that involve South Korea, such as how Yoon will negotiate with Washington over sharing the costs for United States Forces Korea in case of Donald Trump’s win in the U.S. presidential election, what will be the “red line” in South Korea’s relations with Russia, and how he will shape Seoul’s relations with Japan.
Though the questions were about timely matters of international interest, they do not include South Koreans’ perspective of wondering how Yoon should navigate global geopolitical upheavals to protect the country's interests.
Reporters raise hands to ask questions during President Yoon Suk Yeol's press conference to commemorate the second anniversary of his presidency at his office in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap
By limiting the questions only to foreign correspondents, there were no chances to gain insights into Yoon’s thoughts on diplomatic matters important for Seoul, such as how to handle worsening relations with China, how to contain North Korea’s escalating missile and nuclear threats and bring the regime back to diplomacy, and what are the tangible benefits of Yoon’s diplomatic principle of leaning toward the U.S. and Japan.
These questions may seem far from fresh from the perspective of international audiences, but all are related to the interests and safety of South Korea's businesses and people.
Though Yoon showed a clear stance of standing by Washington in the U.S.-China rivalry, China still remains South Korea's largest trading partner.
Despite the stronger-than-ever alliance with the U.S. and amicable relations with Japan, Washington is pressing South Korean businesses to invest more in the U.S., while Japan is now coercing South Korean tech giant Naver to divest its stake from popular messaging app Line, which was developed by Naver’s Japanese arm.
Months earlier, a Washington-based diplomatic analyst suggested to this reporter to ask Yoon, if possible, whether South Korea would send its troops or even non-combat military forces if a military conflict takes place between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, saying this could be the Yoon administration's most compelling conundrum in the near future, directly affecting the safety of South Koreans.
Since Yoon said that “maybe we can do it again later,” this reporter may have to wait to ask that question — maybe for another 631 days. By that time, Mr. President, please learn that foreign affairs are not reserved for foreign correspondents only.