Yoon's separation from the press delights some, alarms others

President Yoon Suk-yeol, center, in a doorstepping session at the presidential office in Yongsan District, central Seoul on Nov. 10. [NEWS1]

The People Power Party (PPP) is conflicted over the suspension of President Yoon Suk-yeol's daily meetings with the press, with some members disappointed that his signature method of communication has all but disappeared.

PPP leaders, its spokesman and mainstream members of the party have generally supported the presidential office's position that the "doorstepping" sessions with media were halted because of public broadcaster MBC's coverage. But others wonder if it was a good decision.

"The doorstepping sessions, meant for better communication with the public, have become a complete riot," PPP Rep. Park Sung-joong, a member of the parliamentary Science, ICT, Broadcasting, and Communications Committee, told SBS radio on Tuesday.

During Friday's doorstepping session, Yoon said his office's decision to bar MBC reporters from the presidential jet during his Southeast Asia trip earlier this month had been an "unavoidable measure," adding that the broadcaster showed "malicious behavior" and reported "fake news."

Right after the president walked away, an MBC reporter and a presidential aide got into a verbal altercation. The aide scolded the reporter for a lack of etiquette, and the heated exchange was captured on video by other journalists.

On Monday, the presidential office announced a halt to the daily sessions and said that they will be resumed only if measures are taken to prevent a recurrence of Friday's altercation.

A temporary wooden plywood screen was installed in the first floor lobby of the Yongsan presidential office, blocking from view the president's entrance into the building. The press corps is located steps away from this entrance.

The nearly doorstepping sessions since Yoon's first day in the Yongsan office on May 11 were part of his campaign pledge to communicate with the press and public.

At times, members of the PPP expressed worries about Yoon's unfiltered remarks, which sometimes led to a drop in approval ratings in public opinion polls.

Some welcomed the suspension of the doorstepping sessions, including Daegu Mayor Hong Joon-pyo, who wrote on Facebook Monday, "It's a very late decision, but a good decision."

However, some lawmakers are expressing regret.

PPP Rep. Tae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat, pointed out in a Facebook post Tuesday that the doorstepping sessions "broke the Blue House's outdated practice of standing in front of reporters and making prepared remarks."

He said he hoped the sessions "which were a completely new attempt to break free from authoritarianism, which even progressive governments in the past could not attempt, will be resumed."

The friction between the presidential office and MBC is rooted in Yoon's hot mic moment in New York. Yoon's office says the broadcaster's reporting was erroneous, irresponsible and could have damaged diplomatic relations with the United States.

The MBC reporter involved in last Friday's altercation has also been suffering personal attacks from lawmakers and online.

Kim Jong-hyuk, a member of the PPP's emergency steering committee, told KBS Radio on Tuesday that the MBC reporter had been "rude" for showing up to the doorstepping session Friday in slippers.

"When we go to court and the judges enter, we all stand up," said Kim. "It is minimum courtesy to the judge to not wear slippers."

On Tuesday, police officials said the MBC reporter at the center of Friday's controversy was put under police protection following an online post Monday that threatened to kill him.

The post included a picture of the MBC reporter speaking with the presidential secretary, along with the message: "I will go to MBC right away and kill you." The post has since been deleted.

The Busan Metropolitan Police Agency is tracking the IP address of the poster.

The Mapo Police Precinct, which has jurisdiction over the MBC headquarters in western Seoul, provided a smart watch to protect the reporter, who received the death threat, and tightened patrols around the broadcaster's building.

BY SARAH KIM [kim.sarah@joongang.co.kr]