Kim Geon-hee, Chosun Ilbo, Myung Tae-kyun – The Inside Story of the 'Closure of Chosun Ilbo' Remark

Introduction: Power, Media, and the Dangerous Collusion

The launch of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration was a political event that embodied the aspirations of the conservative camp. At the center were Yoon Seok-yeol, an unprecedented power holder with his background as a prosecutor, and Kim Geon-hee, his spouse who became a key figure in the informal power structure. As a regime formed by non-politicians with a weak political foundation, they needed the power of the media more than anyone else. The media outlet that responded to this need was the Chosun Ilbo. However, this relationship did not last long. As the administration took hold, a rift appeared sooner than expected between Kim Geon-hee, who wanted to increase control over the media, and the Chosun Ilbo, which aimed to maintain its independent media power. The catalyst for this conflict was the USB incident involving Myung Tae-kyun, who was known to be one of Kim Geon-hee's informal power brokers. This USB supposedly contained crucial files featuring the voices of Kim Geon-hee and Yoon Seok-yeol, and despite receiving this material, the Chosun Ilbo did not report it. At that moment, Kim Geon-hee made a remark vowing, "I will put my life on the line to shut down the Chosun Ilbo." This article aims to analyze how the relationships between Kim Geon-hee, Yoon Seok-yeol, the Chosun Ilbo, and Myung Tae-kyun were formed, why they led to conflict, and ultimately culminated in Kim Geon-hee's extreme statement about shutting down the newspaper over time.

The Beginning of Symbiosis: The Strategic Cooperation between Kim Geon-hee, Yoon Seok-youl, and the Chosun Ilbo

Yoon Suk-yeol, as a president with a background as a prosecutor rather than a politician, had a weak organizational political base. Therefore, the role of the media in promoting him was absolutely crucial. In particular, Chosun Ilbo, as the leading conservative media outlet, became a strong ally for Yoon Suk-yeol. When the allegations surrounding the "complaint-sponsoring incident" emerged, Chosun Ilbo responded by extensively reporting on the "Daejang-dong controversy," thereby defending Yoon Suk-yeol. This became a decisive stepping stone for Yoon's rapid rise as a presidential candidate. Kim Kun-hee was also at the center of this media play. She showed a strong obsession with managing and controlling relationships with the media and has employed media lawsuits and pressure strategies, as already revealed in controversies such as the Seoul Voice recording. During this period, Chosun Ilbo strategically collaborated with the Yoon Suk-yeol-Kim Kun-hee community under the common goal of regime change.

The Seed of Tension: Expectation Discrepancy and Boosting Han Dong-hoon

After the establishment of the administration, the Chosun Ilbo maintained a friendly attitude for a while. However, as the governance began to take shape, internal cracks gradually started to be detected. Discontent within the Chosun Ilbo grew over the fact that the Yoon Seok-yeol administration was not meeting the demands of businesses and media as expected, and disagreements over personnel and economic policies increased. Kim Kun-hee expressed her dissatisfaction to those around her, saying that the Chosun Ilbo has many demands and that since she has provided help, they should listen to her now. Within the Chosun Ilbo, there were also critical views suggesting that Kim Kun-hee was too much at the center of power. Especially as the Chosun Ilbo began to promote Han Dong-hoon as a potential future power player, Kim Kun-hee's sense of caution heightened significantly. This marked the starting point for the Kim Kun-hee-Yoon Seok-yeol community to consider the Chosun Ilbo's attitude as a 'betrayal'.

The Emergence of Myung-Taek-Gyun and the Acceleration of Fractures

In this tense relationship, another significant figure emerges. It is Myung Tae-kyun. He has positioned himself as a key individual involved in politically sensitive matters, such as interference in nominations, having secured multiple phone calls and audio recordings with Kim Kun-hee. However, cornered by the prosecution's investigation, Myung Tae-kyun delivered a USB containing Kim Kun-hee's voice to the Chosun Ilbo as a way to ask for protection. This USB was perceived as a 'smoking gun' containing evidence of political interference by Kim Kun-hee and Yoon Suk-yeol. Myung Tae-kyun's intention was clear. He aimed to utilize the information he possessed to seek salvation or to issue a warning to Yoon Suk-yeol's camp. He chose the Chosun Ilbo as a 'messenger,' and the Chosun Ilbo indeed received the USB. However, contrary to expectations, the Chosun Ilbo did not report this information instead, it was revealed that the publication handed the material over to the presidential office.

Trigger and Counterattack: The Background of Kim Geon-hee's 'Abolition of Joseon' Statement

After the USB from Myung-tae Gyun was delivered to the Chosun Ilbo, Kim Geon-hee's reaction went beyond mere embarrassment and was expressed as intense anger. This USB contained sensitive information that could lead to legal risks, including indications of Kim Geon-hee's involvement in nominations, and she felt a sense of crisis about the very fact that Myung-tae Gyun had passed it to the outside. However, the context behind Kim Geon-hee using extreme expressions—'I will risk my life to shut down the Chosun Ilbo'—was rooted in more than just information leakage. The key issue was not the fact that the Chosun Ilbo did not report on that USB, but rather what actions were taken afterward. Despite receiving the USB, the Chosun Ilbo did not turn it into news and seemingly conveyed it to the presidential office instead. This action raised suspicions of a political negotiation utilizing the information instead of reporting it, suggesting that they attempted or were attempting to make a 'deal.' This deal could be divided into two possibilities: first, a direct transaction with the Yoon Seok-yeol-Kim Geon-hee side—meaning they could have requested something in exchange for the information. Second, an attempt to trade information with external political and power forces—implying that the Chosun Ilbo may have sought to leverage the USB to engage in an independent political game. Kim Geon-hee interpreted this process as the Chosun Ilbo transforming from an ally of the regime into a 'threatening intermediary,' leading to an extreme sense of crisis. For Kim Geon-hee, the media was supposed to be a controllable entity and a means of loyalty. However, the impression that the Chosun Ilbo had broken free from that framework, utilized the information as an independent asset, and positioned itself at the negotiation table was fatal. Judging that the balance of information control had collapsed, Kim Geon-hee issued a direct punitive message against the media.

Response of Chosun Ilbo and attempts to reassemble relationships

Kim Geon-hee's remarks about the press suppression were actually recorded and reported by the media, causing a shock. However, the Chosun Ilbo did not directly address this issue. Subsequently, the Chosun Ilbo returned to a reporting bias that is favorable to Yoon Seok-yeol, and coverage of Kim Geon-hee noticeably decreased. This can be interpreted as a form of 'stitching up.' Within the Chosun Ilbo, there is an assessment that the USB incident was already delivered to Yoon Seok-yeol's side, indicating that some arrangement or follow-up action has taken place. In other words, the Chosun Ilbo moved in a direction of either negotiating with power using the information they had or at least seeking to patch up conflicts. This marked the moment when the media transformed from a watchdog of power into a kind of negotiator or mediator.

The meaning behind the 'closing of a newspaper' remark, and the truth that the special investigation must uncover.

Kim Geon-hee's remark about the 'closure of the Chosun Ilbo' is not merely an expression of anger, but a symbolic event that illustrates the possible covert information transactions between political power and the media. The complexities and fractures in the relationships involving the Kim Geon-hee-Yoon Suk-yeol community, the Chosun Ilbo, and the internal broker Myung Tae-kyun had accumulated prior to this statement. The ongoing special investigation into Kim Geon-hee is examining existing suspicions such as stock manipulation, false career statements, and involvement in candidate nominations. Recently, allegations surrounding the USB secured by Myung Tae-kyun and the suspicions of information transmission, concealment, and trading have emerged as new focal points. After the USB was transmitted to the Chosun Ilbo, it was not reported, and suspicions that it was later passed to the presidential office, along with Kim Geon-hee's fury over the potential 'deal' surrounding it, suggest implications beyond mere private matters, hinting at the possibility of power transactions between politics and the media. Of course, as of now, the Chosun Ilbo is not an official target of the special investigation. However, the opposition party argues that there needs to be an investigation into the triangular relationship among Myung Tae-kyun, Kim Geon-hee, and the Chosun Ilbo, and this claim is completely valid. Beyond whether it is reported, how the media processed the information and whether it led to contacts with power is a matter that directly intersects with the principles of media freedom. Therefore, the special investigation should not limit this case to mere personal corruption or secretive interventions but should transparently investigate how information was politicized and how the media was involved in that flow. Whether the Chosun Ilbo truly weighed the USB for reporting, whether any agreements were reached through conversations with power, or whether attempts were made to contact external forces must be thoroughly clarified.