Presidential office tightens response to fake news

The South Korean presidential office is considering additionally revamping personnel and the organizational structure around the end of the year as part of ordinary reforms to assign the right person to the right unit by function and capability. This change focuses on upgrading press relations with better responses to fake news and implementing an “export drive” policy.

Cheon Hyo-jeong, the vice spokesperson to the presidential office, has been transferred newly as an administrator for the presidential secretary for new media under the senior secretary to the President for public relations, according to the presidential office on Friday. Young administrators in their 20s and 30s have been interchanged between the offices of the presidential secretary for new media and the presidential spokesperson. The aim is to make a working-level change to the office of the presidential secretary for new media, where there has been a vacant post since former new media secretary Lee Sang-hyeop resigned in October.

Such reform action is to be taken given that the presidential office considers it important to not only respond to media reports but also take a nimble approach to fake news dissemination online. “We plan to respond to fake news strictly and further promote President Yoon’s policies, including “Killing Content,” said an official of the presidential office. President Yoon Suk-yeol also emphasized in a Thursday luncheon session with scholars at the National Academy of Sciences that he deeply agrees that digital norms should be set up to expel fake and misleading news and safeguard democracy.

As part of the presidential office reform, adding a new office under Lee Kwan-seop, senior presidential secretary for policy and planning, is under review to focus on export-related affairs to strengthen an “export drive” policy.

Added to this, the presidential office plans to create an office to handle overseas legal affairs in an effort to review MOUs and overseas cooperative projects involving major countries and enhance capabilities for risk management. “Amid the economic crisis, we intend to support the administration’s governance foundation with special emphasis on the defense and nuclear facility industries to pave the way to overseas markets,” said the official. At an exports strategy meeting held last month, President Yoon ordered related departments to make a concerted effort to build a system to support exporters.


Kwan-Seok Jang jks@donga.com