On September 28, Democratic Party of Korea lawmaker Song Young-gil abruptly ended a live radio phone interview on CBS program “Park Jae-hong’s One-Hand Match” after stating he was dining with the president, prompting an official expression of regret from the broadcast production team.
Interview Abruptly Halted Amid Discussion on Prosecutorial Reform
Lawmaker Song Young-gil appeared by phone on the CBS radio program “Park Jae-hong’s One-Hand Match” on the evening of September 28 to discuss current political issues. Approximately eight minutes into the broadcast, while anchor Park Jae-hong was questioning Song about the upcoming launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency, Song interrupted the conversation to state that he needed to wrap up immediately and offered an apology.
Anchor Park expressed frustration over the sudden termination, noting that it was unfair to live listeners and violated basic broadcast etiquette. Song responded by asking whether the interview was originally scheduled for 10 minutes. When Park replied that a 10-minute extension was planned, Song refused, stating he was currently having dinner with the president and asking how such an arrangement could be possible.
Production Team and Anchor Issue Apologies and Criticism
Following the sudden disconnection, anchor Park apologized to the audience, taking personal responsibility for the disruption. On September 29, the program’s production team released an official statement confirming that a 25-minute phone interview had been arranged. The producers noted that the PD had only been informed beforehand that Song might receive the call while moving between other scheduled activities.
The production staff criticized the lawmaker for abruptly cutting off the connection roughly eight minutes in due to a newly arisen dinner schedule with the president. Because roughly 10 minutes of broadcast time remained and could not be filled solely with music, producers urgently contacted former Reform Party Supreme Council member Kim Jeong-chrol—who was commuting home after finishing the first part of the show—to discuss concerns surrounding the launch of the Serious Crime Investigation Agency and ongoing prosecutorial reforms. The production team formally stated their strong regret over the unannounced and unilateral termination of the live broadcast.
Did You Know?
On the day of the broadcast incident, President Lee Jae-myung attended the 20th World Koreans Day commemorative ceremony in Songdo, Incheon, before visiting a market in Incheon’s Yeonsu-gu district—Song’s political constituency—accompanied by Song and other officials for a dinner meeting.
Lawmaker Cites Staff Oversight in Facebook Apology
Facing public backlash, Song Young-gil issued a public apology via Facebook on September 29. The lawmaker explained that he believed the interview was slated to last roughly 10 minutes based on his schedule, whereas the actual planned duration exceeded 20 minutes, attributing the discrepancy to an oversight by his administrative staff during the preliminary confirmation process.
Song acknowledged that he connected to the broadcast while handling another unavoidable commitment, but failed to manage the situation properly when faced with an unexpected interview length. He added that he intends to treat commitments made to broadcasting stations and listeners with greater weight moving forward.
Lawmaker Song Young-gil terminates live radio interview to dine with the president
When did the live interview incident take place?
The incident occurred during the evening live broadcast of the CBS radio program “Park Jae-hong’s One-Hand Match” on September 28.
Why did lawmaker Song Young-gil terminate the call?
Song ended the interview approximately eight minutes into the broadcast, stating that he was dining with the president and citing a misunderstanding regarding the scheduled interview length caused by a staff oversight.
How did the broadcast production team respond to the interruption?
The production team issued an official statement on September 29 expressing strong regret over the unannounced, unilateral cutoff, and hastily brought in former Reform Party Supreme Council member Kim Jeong-chrol to fill the remaining airtime.
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