I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Blame them if you're flawless
By Kang Hyun-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
I happened to learn about a media competition for North Korea coverage many years ago which pit two leading newspapers against each other.
I won't disclose who shared this with me to protect their privacy, other than that it was at a lunch with a few journalists from other media outlets hosted by a government official.
Contrary to his calm demeanor, the soft-spoken official initiated a provocative talk. He asked a reporter from one of the leading newspapers who was among us that day whether a rumor about his company's rivalry with the other was correct or not.
The official said he heard a Beijing correspondent of the newspaper was stressed out because another Korean correspondent from a rival media outlet ran scoops on North Korea several times, thanks to his extensive network in China and sources who had insiders' views of the Hermit Kingdom. He mentioned a newspaper article about North Korea that was published that day by the rival media as the reason behind his question.
His “curiosity” seemed to have offended the reporter. The journalist said what was reported in the rival newspaper was a known thing as the Beijing correspondent of his company shared the same information a day earlier with his editor and fellow journalists, noting his company decided not to publish the story because it was unconfirmed.
“We filter stories like that,” he noted.
He blamed the rival media for its “irresponsible stories” about North Korea.
“Previously, they published six stories about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visiting China, each time claiming it was an exclusive. What happened was that the first five reports turned out to be baseless and the last one was true. The reporter got a prize for the scoop even though his previous five reports were not based on facts,” he lamented.
I am a skeptic regarding news on North Korea.
I began to question the credibility of newspaper stories after
an interview with a North Korean defector
who tried to cooperate with U.S. experts to prepare for a post-unification Korea.
For journalists, I think, covering the North is a high-risk poker game. North Korea is an important foreign policy issue that can make or break the security of East Asia. Its nuclear program is a global security threat as well.
As the fellow journalist put it, the tricky thing is that in many cases, it's almost impossible to verify whether certain information obtained is true or not, mainly because of the reclusiveness of the state.
It's no exaggeration that North Korea news ― other than some technical issues such as their nuclear tests or launching of missiles that can be verified ― is doomed to be flawed.
The recent fuss about global media coverage of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health, albeit embarrassing as it turned out to be wrong, is a reflection of the daunting reality journalists are facing.
Inaccurate reports deal a blow to the media, as well as the experts who were quoted in them.
Two lawmakers-elect ― former North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho and fellow North Korean defector Ji Seong-ho ― have been suffering the fallout of their previous media interviews about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's health.
In an interview with CNN, Thae said Kim's health was in “grave danger” and he couldn't stand up by himself or walk properly. In an interview with other media, Ji said he was convinced Kim was already dead, noting he was 99 percent certain.
Their speculation turned out to be baseless. Kim reappeared in the North Korean state media with seemingly no major health issues some 20 days after he was last seen.
Their comments hurt their credibility. Thae and Ji offered apologies to the public for their hasty remarks, but some are still critical of the defectors.
I think it was inappropriate for the lawmakers-elect to have given inaccurate comments without checking the facts. But I have no intention to join the critics who insist the defectors be held accountable for sharing “fake news.”
I would like to rely on what Jesus said to the crowd who tried to judge the woman caught in adultery in John 8:7 and react to those who are critical of the defectors with my own words.
“If there are any media or journalists having no previous records on misleading reports on North Korea, they feel free to accuse them of their careless remarks.”