[The Fountain] Saying farewell by text message
SHIM SAE-ROMThe author is a communication team reporter at JoongAng Holdings.
In today’s world, everything is handled through chats and text messages on your smartphone. It’s been a while since you sent invitations or obituaries on your smartphone. Text messages are also used for crimes such as phishing.
On Jan. 11, the Korea Communications Commission announced that it will institutionalize the “mobile notice” service of KT and Kakao Pay, which was licensed on a temporary basis. At the end of 2022, eight government agencies, 287 local governments, 49 public agencies and 153 private institutions and companies are already using electronic notice services. The National Tax Service gives electronic notices on taxes and the National Pension Service notifies its membership details electronically.
In the age of notifying taxes and welfare with your fingertips, a breakup of relationships remains in the last area that requires communication beyond texting. In politics too, a breakup at least needs sincerer communication. In 2018, then Liberty Korea Party (LKP), a predecessor to the People Power Party, emergency committee head Kim Byung-jun fired lawyer Jun Won-tchack from the post of the special committee on party organization with a text message. The cause was a dispute over the timing of a party convention, and Jeon picked on how he was notified of the dismissal. “The LKP finally started to sort out everything with a text message,” he retorted. The party leadership explained that it had a hard time connecting with him over the phone and sent the text before making an official announcement. Former lawmaker Park Ji-won compared it to former U.S. President Donald Trump who fired the Secretary of State on Twitter. On Jan. 10, the PPP was noisy over the resignation of Na Kyung-won from the post of vice chair of the Low Birthrate and Aging Society Committee via a text message. Ahead of a party convention in March, Na was considering running for the party chairmanship. She expressed her intention to quit by sending a text to Blue House chief presidential secretary Kim Dae-ki. Na told reporters, “I expressed my resignation in both ways, text and phone call. But a PPP lawmaker, a member of the pro-Yoon faction, claimed that one of her aides, not Na, made the call to senior presidential secretary for political affairs Lee Jin-bok. “Does it make sense for a minister-level official to tender their resignation by a text message? It is not proper for a high-level official,” said the lawmaker.
It is uncertain how long a call will be a requirement for parting in the era of “paperless” and call phobia. But we need to remember in daily life and politics that sincere communication is needed if you find a situation uncomfortable and want to avoid it.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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