hankyoreh

third from the left Lee Myung-bak and fourth Sohn Hak-kyu.

Ahead of the December 19 presidential election, presidential hopefuls are increasingly hiring former journalists to help them with publicity and media relations.

Park Geun-hye, former leader of the main opposition Grand National Party, hired 69-year-old Ahn Byung-hoon, former vice president of the Chosun Ilbo, as head of her campaign coordination headquarters.

Ahn began his career as a journalist at Chosun Ilbo in 1965. He had served influential roles such as political editor and managing editor in the newspaper company. Until last year, Ahn had been a shareholder of Chosun Ilbo, with a 0.74 percent stake. He has since sold his stocks in the company. In the 1970s, when Park Geun-hye’s father, Park Chung-hee, was South Korea’s leader, Ahn covered the presidential office.

In a telephone interview with the Hankyoreh, Ahn said, "After one month of consideration, I decided to help Park because I think the incumbent administration should not be continued." Ahn said his decision wasn’t related to the stance of the Chosun Ilbo.

In addition, Lee Yeon-hong, former political editor at the JoongAng Ilbo, is helping Park in a separate office. Kim Hyeong-tae, 55, a former New York correspondent of KBS, is also advising Park.

Former Gyeonggi provincial governor Sohn Hak-kyu hired Cho Yong-taek, a former journalist at Chosun Ilbo, as a media advisor. Cho is planning public relations and drawing up the campaign agenda for Sohn. Lee Soo-won, Sohn’s spokesman, said, "In the era of media-related elections, media experts are needed."

Former Seoul mayor Lee Myung-bak picked Shin Jae-min, 49, a former editor of the Weekly Chosun, as a coordinator for media analysis and public relations planning. Shin is also advising speechwriting for Lee. Asked by the Hankyoreh regarding why he joined Lee’s camp, Shin said, "I have had good relations with former mayor Lee since a long time ago."

Former prime minister Goh Kun launched a public relations planning team that includes Kim Yong-jeong, a former managing editor at the Dong-a Ilbo, Kim Guk-hu, a former deputy managing editor at the JoongAng Ilbo, and Kim Sang-do, who once covered the culture beat for the JoongAng Ilbo.

Presidential hopefuls want to hire former journalists because they can be used as ‘dialogue channels’ with their former newspaper companies, experts said. Former journalists are also seeking new areas in which to use their expertise.

But there are some concerns about this recent spate of hiring. On January 2, the National Union of Media Workers said in a commentary relating to Ahn Byung-hoon’s recent hiring, "We hope the move will not become a prelude to cozy relationships between politicians and the media, but it’s highly likely that our hopes will be dashed."

On January 3, the Chosun Ilbo said in a press release that, "The recent choice of Ahn Byung-hoon, who served as vice president of the Chosun Ilbo, is his personal decision, and isn’t related to the Chosun Ilbo. The Chosun Ilbo hasn’t been influenced by the activities of our former workers, and publishes the newspaper for our readers."

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