By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter
President Lee Myung-bak is taking legal action against Internet news organization OhmyNews for allegedly posting an inaccurate and libelous report. It marks the first time that President Lee has filed a legal complaint against a news organization since his inauguration in February.
President Lee filed a lawsuit against the news site this week, requesting a news correction as well as 500 million won ($485,000) in restitution.
``We feel it's unfortunate that the President has to use legal means to resolve this issue,'' an OhmyNews representative told The Korea Times. The representative said the news site still stands by the report's accuracy.
According to the Cheong Wa Dae announcement, the online news site posted an inaccurate report about remarks attributed to Lee.
In a report filed on June 7, OhmyNews stated that the President had confided to a group of religious leaders a day earlier that pro-North Korea groups and radical student activists were the masterminds behind recent candlelit protests. These protests attracted tens of thousands of Korean citizens who opposed the government's decision to resume importing U.S. beef without any restrictions.
According to OhmyNews, he told religious leaders that ``radical pro-North Korea groups and activist university students have kept quiet during liberal Roh Moo-hyun's administration. But they are all coming out again to protest now that I am President.''
Lee denied making such a comment. The legal complaint was filed at the Press Arbitration Commission this Monday. Barun Law, a major litigation and dispute resolution firm based in Seoul, filed the complaint on behalf of the President. The law firm stated that Lee has suffered injury to his reputation from the news site's libelous claim. The complaint also includes an official request for the Commission's mediation in the matter.
The OhmyNews representative told The Korea Times it posted the news story on June 7 and that news staff confirmed the remarks from those who attended the meeting with the President. The representative said the news site had earlier received official correspondence from the presidential office to issue a correction and an apology. In response, OhmyNews asked Cheong Wa dae for a transcript of President Lee's remarks at the meeting but was denied access.
OhmyNews said it doesn't have any intention of distorting President Lee's comments. ``If Cheong Wa Dae can provide us with a transcript or a recording of the remarks, if they prove that we were in fact wrong, we are willing to issue a correction anytime,'' the representative said.