September 3rd 2014, students at DGHS had the opportunity to meet with Jong-Sung Kim, a finance-based reporter/journalist from Yonhap News TV. Through this meeting, students at DGHS were able to expand their understanding of a variety of careers in the field of journalism. The event mostly consisted of example video clips and additional explanations, as well as a Q&A session. Let’s take a look at the session.

S: DGHS student
K: Jong-Sung Kim, the reporter

S: What do journalists mostly do?
K: Journalism consists of a variety of different parts, but our main job is to find out situations or events in society that is going in the wrong direction and to report this to the public. We try to make sure more people are aware of them and that our news reports or articles give them a chance to look back on these happenings or dilemmas. Finding blind spots in society (or law, economy, etc.) and trying to make a fair and just world is our career priority.

S: Why did you choose to become a journalist?
K: When I was serving in the army, I had the chance to experience being part of an interview. The reporter conducting the interview looked very confident and professional, and the way she tried to make the interviewees comfortable impacted me. Although there were many other reasons why I chose to take another career path, I think the main reason was simply because journalism and being a reporter looked fun, and because it was my newfound passion!

S: What do you think is the hardest about being a journalist?
K: There are always difficulties in having a job, and having a career in journalism is no exception. The biggest one is probably that you have to constantly be on your feet, ready to cover breaking news. Because of this, most journalists hardly have any free time during the weekend. Always being closely connected with your work may be a good thing, but it is definitely a stressful factor.

S: What should I do if I want to become a journalist? Is there anything I should prepare?
K: The most common way to become a journalist is to work in a journalism-related firm or a broadcasting station. It may sound simple, but in fact, getting a job at these places requires many difficult steps. That’s why some even call it “the media examination,” similar to the bar exam or the national civil service examination. The general process you must undergo is in three steps. Firstly, the documentation process, and second, the written test. Here you will be tested on your knowledge on current affairs as well as other general knowledge. Korean and other languages are also an exam subject. The last step varies depending on what specific job you wish to pursue. If you want to become a reporter or anchor, you will take a camera test. If you wish to simply be a written journalist, you will go through an interview. To prepare for this, you must study hard both in school and afterschool, as well as make sure your language-use is appropriate in your daily life. Also, try to work on your writing skills (for writing articles), and your posture or public speech (for reporting situations in the news).

S: Is there a specific major or course that is recommended in order to become a journalist?
K: It is recommended that you graduate with a diploma in either communication or broadcasting. But I personally think that it doesn’t matter what you study or take a course in because journalism requires knowledge in a wide range of fields. Take me, for example. I actually studied computer programming in college, and I planned on doing something of that sort when I grew up. I changed my career path when I was much older, but journalism (specifically being a finance-based journalist) hasn’t been harder for me than for other media related graduates. What you study in college doesn’t matter too much, so make sure you choose to learn what you truly have passion for.

S: If you didn’t study economics in school, how did you supplement the lack of professional knowledge?
K: Being a journalist of a certain field requires less “professional” knowledge than you may think. In fact, I was part of the politics section before coming to the finance section! This is mainly because it is not our job to academically evaluate the situation, but to research it, find it, and report it to the world. However, in order to become familiar with the companies that I would be reporting, I did try investing small amounts of money in stock markets! It was very helpful for me later on.

S: Okay. Thank you so much for your great lecture today! I have definitely broadened my understanding on journalism.
K: No problem. It was great meeting you all.


By Eun-Jee Kim
(DG reporter)