Yoon's office allows MBC reporters to board presidential jet

Reporters board the presidential jet at Seoul Air Base, just south of the capital, on Nov. 11, 2022, to cover President Yoon Suk Yeol's trip to Cambodia and Indonesia. [YONHAP]

The office of President Yoon Suk Yeol has allowed local broadcaster MBC's reporters to board the presidential jet for his upcoming overseas trip, officials said Friday, after banning them earlier over controversial coverage.

MBC reporters were informed of the decision late Thursday ahead of Yoon's trip to the United Arab Emirates and Switzerland, which starts Saturday.

"It was President Yoon's instruction to maximize reporting opportunities for the presidential office correspondents during this trip to ensure their reporting is not restricted, and to make sure seating is comfortable," a senior presidential official said.

In November, the office banned MBC reporters from boarding the presidential jet to cover Yoon's trip to Cambodia and Indonesia, citing the company's repeated "distorted" coverage.

MBC had broadcast a subtitled video of Yoon, which made it appear that he was using vulgar language to refer to U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress during a September event in New York.

Yonhap