South Korea backs off on criticism of Bloomberg journalist

AAJA ASIA

The Asian American Journalists Association Asia is made up foreign correspondents of various media outlets.

South Korea’s ruling political party withdrew personal criticism of a Bloomberg News reporter for writing an article about President Moon Jae-in that questioned Moon's policies regarding North Korea.

The retraction came after journalism groups, including the Asian American Journalists Association, warned the remarks threatened freedom of the press and demanded a retraction by the party.

The Democratic Party of Korea removed the name of Bloomberg reporter Youkyung Lee from a statement posted on its website last week and language describing the Sept. 25 Bloomberg article about Moon’s North Korean policy as “almost like treason.” 

The move came days after journalists’ organizations said that the comments had resulted in serious threats to the reporter’s personal safety.

YOUKYUNG LEE

“We would like to apologize to foreign journalists within South Korea, if we have caused any misunderstandings,” party spokesman Lee Hae-sik said in a statement Tuesday (March 19). “We do acknowledge that our rough expressions, due to a lack of knowledge and virtue, could have caused some discomfort for the reporter, and depending on the person, it could have provided a psychological shock.”

Hours before the party's statement, it had said that it had no plans to retract Lee's criticism. There was no explanation for the quick change of mind.

The South Korean President's office had reaffirmed his support for press freedom and issued a statement pledging “an appropriate countermeasure” against threats to any reporter’s safety.

The ruling party statements by Lee came in response to a parliamentary speech last week by conservative lawmaker Na Kyung-won, who borrowed the Bloomberg headline to criticize Moon's diplomacy with North Korea following the collapse of last month's summit between Kim and Donald Trump.

Part of AAJA-Asia chapter's statement said:

"On March 12, in a National Assembly speech and subsequent comments, the Liberty Korea Party floor leader referred to the Bloomberg article, pointing to it as an example of coverage by the “foreign press” (외신). In response, the ruling Minjoo Party’s spokesperson questioned the reporter’s credentials, her affiliations with foreign media, and referred to her article as “a borderline treasonous act insulting the head of state.” 

"Her Korean ethnicity and the fact that she is based in Seoul have been used to discredit her reporting. AAJA-Asia is disturbed by this rhetoric targeting a journalist. It is further disturbed that following these accusations, she has faced threats to her personal safety.

"Threatening or intimidating behavior towards journalists is unacceptable and needs to stop. Such activities have a chilling effect and undermine the freedom of the press for all journalists working in Korea. AAJA-Asia urges everyone engaging in this discussion to respect the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the press."

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