{"id":2204353,"date":"2024-03-21T08:00:31","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T23:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?p=2204353"},"modified":"2024-03-20T15:03:48","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T06:03:48","slug":"senior-presidential-aide-resigns-over-intimidating-remarks-to-journalists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2024\/03\/senior-presidential-aide-resigns-over-intimidating-remarks-to-journalists\/","title":{"rendered":"Senior presidential aide resigns over intimidating remarks to journalists"},"content":{"rendered":"
Hwang Sang-moo, senior presidential secretary for civil and social agenda, <\/span>resigned<\/span><\/a> on Wednesday following pressure from ruling and opposition parties. He <\/span>jokingly warned<\/span><\/a> journalists on March 15 about potential consequences for publishing stories critical of the government, referencing a <\/span>1988 incident<\/span><\/a> in which military intelligence soldiers stabbed a journalist in retaliation for writing news stories critical of the Roh Tae-woo administration.<\/span><\/p>\n President Yoon Suk-yeol accepted Hwang\u2019s resignation amid growing concerns within the ruling <\/span>People Power Party<\/span><\/a> (PPP) that the controversy could negatively impact the party\u2019s prospects in next month\u2019s general elections, particularly among swing voters in the Seoul metropolitan area. While the main opposition <\/span>Democratic Party<\/span><\/a> (DP) welcomed Hwang\u2019s resignation, the minor opposition <\/span>Green Justice Party<\/span><\/a> criticized Yoon\u2019s decision not to dismiss him.<\/span><\/p>\n Why It Matters<\/b><\/p>\n Hwang resigned on the last day South Korea hosted the <\/span>Summit for Democracy<\/span><\/a> from March 18 to 20. Revelations of Hwang\u2019s remarks invoked memories of the country\u2019s authoritarian past, stoking intense criticism from the Yoon administration\u2019s critics. Before the summit, the <\/span>V-Dem Institute\u2019s Democracy Report 2024<\/span><\/a> highlighted South Korea\u2019s decline in the Liberal Democracy Index, citing issues such as the Yoon administration\u2019s punitive actions against the previous government, assaults on gender equality and deteriorating freedom of expression and press.<\/span><\/p>\n South Korean journalists and media outlets have faced increasing pressure from the government for perceived negative coverage. In 2022, when major broadcaster MBC aired a <\/span>hot-mic clip<\/span><\/a> of Yoon appearing to call U.S. lawmakers \u201cbastards,\u201d the president immediately announced an \u201cinquiry\u201d into press outlets that reported his gaffe and demanded an apology. The situation escalated when the PPP filed criminal complaints against the broadcaster and four individual journalists. The Seoul Western District Court <\/span>ordered<\/span><\/a> MBC in January to correct its report on Yoon\u2019s remarks, threatening daily fines for noncompliance.<\/span><\/p>\n While the latest <\/span>Gallup Korea poll<\/span><\/a> indicates that the PPP is ahead of the DP in favorability numbers, the lead is not insurmountable, with 20 days left before the April 10 general elections.<\/span><\/p>\n