YouTube Delete Clips on Brothel Investor
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
National Police Agency Commissioner General Eo Cheong-soo came under fire Friday after it was revealed the NPA requested a Web site to cut access to a video clip reporting alleged crimes commited by his brother.
According to the Hankyoreh newspaper, the police agency sent a letter to youtube.com, the world's largest video clip sharing site, demanding deletion of clips of a Busan MBC report on Eo's brother's alleged involvement in a brothel in the region. Google, management of YouTube has since blocked all Korean IP access to the video clips.
According to relevant laws, portal sites should erase or block access to postings alleged as libel. However, if the applicant cannot prove that the material is libel, the Web sites are allowed to repost the content.
Google Korea's legal affairs team said the requested video clips were not libel but it has yet to retrieve the data, spawning suspicion that the police have pressured the company to block the information indefinitely.
The report was aired in April, when a hotel in a fancy area of Busan was found to be running a brothel on three of its floors. One of the largest shareholders of the hotel was Eo's brother, who was alleged to have invested 2.2 billion won into the building.
Moreover, it alleged that local police agencies tried to block the report after learning that reporters were tracking the case.
The report got little attention at the time of airing since April and May were swept away by American beef import demonstrations. However, when Eo became a target of criticism for ``excessive suppression'' of protestors, the story surfaced and has now become a headache for the police, observers said.
The NPA said it considered the report to be libelous and made the request to YouTube. Previously, Eo said his brother was not aware of the brothel and that he has decided to withdraw his investment. He also denied allegations that his office tried to block the airings.
The agency did not file any petition to the Press Arbitration Commission about the report.