단상斷想

Kim Eo-jun is one of the most controversial media figures in Korean society. Tracing his trajectory, we can clearly see the process of him starting as a journalist who reported on Lee Myung-bak, who was then a notoriously corrupt political figure, and transforming into a political actor craving power as he went through Moon Jae-in. This change is not simply a change in disposition, but shows a fundamental shift in identity depending on the distance from power. Kim Eo-jun's case is an example of how media power can erode an individual's morality, and how the desire for power can distort the essential mission of a journalist.

When Kim Eo-jun began to gain public attention through 'I am a Petty Trickster,' his motives were pure. He took on the role of monitoring power that existing media could not, proved that he could criticize real politics and monitor power sufficiently just by using colloquial language, and actually performed that role faithfully. During this period, Kim Eo-jun's activities were based on clear moral standards. It was to expose the corruption and irregularities of power and to satisfy the public's right to know. It is questionable whether his attempts and timely social needs had a firm belief in contributing to the healthy development of democracy from the beginning. Perhaps it was an era when the public, who had made excessive interpretations of his unprecedented character, overlooked his ultimate goal. Evidence for this appeared above all in his consistent aggressiveness. No matter who was in power or what political interests were involved, he did not hesitate to point out the problems of power. This attitude gave many citizens confidence and made them recognize him as a 'journalist on the side of the citizens.' Kim Eo-jun's greatest strength during this period was maintaining an appropriate distance from power. He did not form personal ties with any politician and always maintained the position of a critical observer. This distance gave objectivity to his remarks and became the basis for citizens to trust him.

The enormous political influence Kim Eo-jun gained during the impeachment of Park Geun-hye began to cause changes in which his inner self was revealed. As he experienced a situation where hundreds of thousands of people listened to his broadcast and political opinion moved with his every word, Kim Eo-jun must have realized that he was not just a simple journalist but an entity with real political power. This realization is what we often call a persona. Koreans, who originally have no talent for even a single persona, were fascinated by Kim Eo-jun's refreshing nature and began to experience vicarious satisfaction and sanctification. It was the unique Korean brainwashing dynamics of worshiping everything that is trendy that was at play.

However, it gradually brought subtle cracks to his moral standards. During the impeachment process, he still seemed to be pursuing a moral cause, but he did not control the desire for power that erupted from within. The experience of being able to create political change with his influence became a turning point in transforming him from a moral journalist to a political actor. As Park Geun-hye's impeachment succeeded, Kim Eo-jun tasted 'the taste of victory.' This was not just an achievement as a journalist, but an experience of exercising political power to change reality. This experience brought about a fundamental change in his identity. He no longer wanted to be an outsider monitoring power, but an insider who could exercise power directly.

Kim Eo-jun's transformation was completed with the inauguration of the Moon Jae-in administration. The fact that he started calling Moon Jae-in "hyung-nim" (older brother) was not a simple expression of intimacy, but a concrete manifestation of his desire for power. This title contains several layers of meaning. First, it is an expression of admiration and obedience to power. The title "hyung-nim" presupposes a hierarchical relationship, showing that Kim Eo-jun is positioning himself as Moon Jae-in's subordinate. Second, it is an expression of the desire to access power. By flaunting personal intimacy, he wanted to suggest that he belonged to the inner circle of power. Third, it is a declaration of abandoning his identity as an independent journalist. The fact that a journalist, who should maintain a distance from power, once called a powerful figure "hyung-nim" is similar in essence to the maintenance of a gang by organized crime groups.

Under the Moon Jae-in administration, Kim Eo-jun essentially volunteered to be a handmaiden of power. He unconditionally defended the government's policies, and when public opinion unfavorable to the government formed, he played the role of refuting it or turning it in another direction. This was a complete abandonment of the essential function of a journalist, which is to monitor power. Furthermore, he even volunteered to be a publicist for the government. Instead of pointing out problems with government policies, he focused on rationalizing them and blaming the failures of the regime on other forces. This behavior shows that he completely abandoned his identity as an independent journalist and degenerated into an existence parasitic on power.

Kim Eo-jun has built considerable media power based on his political influence. His broadcasts have secured hundreds of thousands to over a million regular listeners, who have shown an almost religious level of loyalty. This media power has given him substantial political influence, which he has actively used for his political purposes. Kim Eo-jun's media power has a different character from traditional media power. While traditional media pursues objectivity and fairness, at least formally, Kim Eo-jun's media was designed from the beginning for a specific political purpose. It is closer to a propaganda medium that aims at political mobilization rather than information delivery.

The recent actions of Kim Eo-jun, especially his blatant support for certain politicians such as Jung Chung-rae, suggest that his lust for power has entered a new stage. He is no longer satisfied with parasitizing existing power, but is trying to directly exert political influence to seat the people he wants in positions of power. This shows Kim Eo-jun's ambition to become a political pseudo-kingmaker, going beyond being a journalist. I am very disappointed in Kim Eo-jun, who seems to want to play such a role, and who is now getting old, stale, and trite. He believes that he can control the fate of politicians through his media power, and is actually trying to exert such influence. This is a complete abandonment of the role of checks and balances that the press should have in a democratic society.

Kim Eo-jun's case is a typical example of how an individual's moral judgment becomes paralyzed as they get closer to power. The standards of good and evil, which were clear when he was far from power, gradually began to blur as he got closer to it. As his own interests coincided with those of the powerful, he abandoned his ability to make objective judgments. The blind loyalty shown by Kim Eo-jun's fixed supporters became a factor that further amplified his desire for power, and the attitude shown by the Democratic Party's weak politicians in front of Kim Eo-jun is a true reflection of the collapse of Korea's political hierarchy. In a situation where his words and actions were unconditionally supported, he gradually became overconfident in his influence and sought greater power. As he got closer to power, Kim Eo-jun lost the opportunity to receive genuine criticism. Only people who followed him remained around him, and all critical voices were dismissed as the work of hostile forces. In this environment, he completely lost his ability to self-reflect and stopped checking the morality of his actions.

The fact that 'Das뵈이다' directly clashed with politics itself, while overlooking this morality, was a fresh shock to the public, is evidence that the public also craved freedom from moral verification or self-censorship. Koreans have been sacrificed too much to politics, society, family, and education. As a country where so many people commit suicide because they cannot say what they want to say and cannot choose what they want to do, they have felt a cool sense of satisfaction from Kim Eo-jun, who acts in a way that prevents him from hearing unfair things. Kim Eo-jun, who has grown so much that he shouts that humility is difficult thanks to Oh Se-hoon, could have become a talent who could have cured some of the chronic diseases of Korean politics if he had only been humble, but he exchanged the public's desires for his own desires.

Kim Eo-jun's transformation process is an example of the pursuit of power and the trend of individual morality. The process by which he, who started as a moral journalist, transformed into a political actor pursuing power, shows how vulnerable human morality is in the face of the temptation of power. His confident statement in the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting Committee that he ran away on the night of the insurrection is a typical example of moral hazard, not knowing what the problem is. The current Kim Eo-jun, who has even been offered parliamentary security, is no longer a journalist. He is just a power seeker who uses his media power to pursue political goals.

Kim Eo-jun's case provides an important lesson to Korean society. Among powers, media power is a very good honey power that simultaneously carries out brainwashing and agitation. The media in Korea has its roots in the Japanese colonial propaganda press, so its subtlety can never be caught up with by the public's imagination. This power must be checked. And the public must realize for themselves that even the most morally appearing figures are, in fact, corpse flowers hiding the desire for power. Humans can be corrupted as much as possible in the face of temptation, but Koreans create idols for vicarious satisfaction. It was the people who made Kim Eo-jun. If he goes on a more private, more business-oriented path, rather than being a YouTuber based on morality, the public will have to make a good judgment.

In Korean society, far-right, pro-Japanese, pro-American, extreme Protestant, Ilbe, radical feminist, male-hating, and female-hating groups are parasitizing like mold in the place where a power check system should be. They all look forward to the day they get close to power, and one day they will kill a member of the National Assembly and Kim Eo-jun. If morality is excluded from power, corruption becomes easy and common sense becomes nonsense. In any case, Kim Eo-jun as a journalist is becoming a figure of the past.