On the 21st (local time) in New York, the words of President Yoon Seok-yeol were reported in foreign media, and the ‘hot mic’ became a hot topic. ‘Hot mic’ means an accident that occurred while the mic was still hot. It refers to a case in which a sad story or joke uttered without knowing whether the microphone is on or the recorder is running at official public events such as heads of state or high-ranking officials is controversial.
The most famous ‘hot mic’ accident recently occurred in January, when US President Joe Biden, during a press conference at the White House, a reporter from the conservative media Fox News poured out questions about America’s killer inflation, calling him “stupid son-of-a bitch.” )” he muttered to himself. It was broadcast live across the country on C-Span, a congress broadcast. Republicans and the media slammed it with ‘disparaging the press’ and caused a stir.
This is not the first time President Biden has had a hot mic accident. In 2010, when President Barack Obama signed ‘ObamaCare’, a plan to expand health insurance during his time as vice president, he praised the president and said, “This is a big fucking deal.” “Is this what the vice president will say at the bill signing ceremony?”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French President Emmanuel Macron at the 2019 NATO Summit in England, and said about then-US President Donald Trump, “He held a press conference for 40 minutes. The staff’s mouths were wide open.” The gossip-like remarks were captured on a broadcast camera and released. Trump also criticized Trudeau as “two-faced”.
In 1984, a ‘hot mic’ even brought about a war crisis. Then US President Ronald Reagan joked during a microphone test ahead of his weekly radio address at his California vacation home, “Fellow people, I’m delighted to be signing a law that will make Russia outlaw forever. We’ll start bombing Russia in five minutes.” These remarks were not immediately broadcast live, but were later leaked through some kind of channel, causing a backlash from the Soviet Union. It almost led to a catastrophe between the US and the Soviet Union, but it is said that the close relationship between Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev, who was an open-minded at the time, prevented the situation from worsening.
Shin Hyun-bo, reporter at Hankyung.com [email protected]