Punishing Park for breaking embargo
By Kim Tae-gyu
President Park Geun-hye writes words on a beach at Jeodo, an island in South Gyeongsang Province. They read “Memory of Jeodo.” She uploaded the picture on her Facebook page, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Cheong Wa Dae
Presidential spokeswoman Kim Haing Monday told reporters that President Park Geun-hye left for Jeodo off the southeastern coast for a five-day summer break.
Kim asked for cooperation from the media to keep silent about Park’s vacation, saying that the news item had an “embargo” on it and that violators will be punished.
A daily was barred from the Cheong Wa Dae press room for a full month after it reported where former President Lee Myung-bak spent his vacation.
President Park posted five pictures of herself taken on the island on her Facebook page with a write-up titled “memory of Jeodo.” The island is a place she visited 35 years ago with her father, former strongman Park Chung-hee.
This prompted some journalists to grumble whether Park should face be banned from Cheong Wa Dae for a month because she broke the press embargo.
It was not the first time that a communication problem took place involving the Cheong Wa Dae communication team.
The Park administration started with two spokespersons. The two didn’t get along.
The discord ended soon, but in a very tragic way, ― Yoon Chang-jung was dismissed in May after he allegedly groped an embassy intern over Park’s visit to the United States.
Then senior press secretary Lee Nam-ki also resigned due to his subordinates even though he was not directly involved in the scandal. He was replaced by Lee Jung-hyun.
Cheong Wa Dae managed to improve its relationships with journalists because the former lawmaker is famous for understanding well what is at the bottom of Park’s heart.
Unlike his predecessor, Lee also proactively met with reporters.
By comparison, Kim has suffered criticisms that she lacks the knack to read Park’s intentions based on her remarks over the Cabinet meeting or the weekly conventions with chief secretaries.
With Yoon gone, Kim is currently the only one who takes part in almost all presidential events and delivers to the general public what the woman leader attempts to say and do.
Cheong Wa Dae officials say that she works really hard with good intentions. Then, does she need more time to become a genuine “mouth of Park”? Is five months not enough? Time will tell.