By Kim Rahn, Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporters
A local daily was being strongly criticized for having published nude pictures of 35-year-old Shin Jeong-ah, the woman at the center of an expanding scandal triggered by her bogus degree claims.
The Munhwa Ilbo, an evening paper, exclusively obtained and published the nude photographs of the former Dongguk University professor Thursday.
Based on the style of the photographs, the newspaper alleged that she may have offered sex to high-ranking officials in return for them helping her gain career success despite her false academic qualifications.
As she has become the most talked about person over the last few weeks for her fake diplomas and alleged close relationship with former senior presidential secretary Byeon Yang-kyoon, the report immediately caught the public's attention. This led to the newspaper's web server shutting down due to too many visitors.
However, the use of the photos drew immediate criticism from citizens, civic groups and even other newspaper companies.
They denounced the Munhwa Ilbo for using yellow journalism and severely infringing on Shin's privacy and human rights. They also argued that the newspaper had lost its focus and rashly jumped to conclusions.
The Citizens' Coalition for Democratic Media said the newspaper should cease publication to take responsibility for issuing stories and photos similar to ``pornography.''
On its front page, the Munhwa Ilbo led with two stories under the headlines ``Shin's Nude Pictures Found'' and ``Possible Sex Provision to High-Ranking Figures.''
On Page 3, the daily printed two color pictures of Shin standing naked _ front and back. The article also described the photos in detail, such as her expression, pose, and the background.
It also quoted several photography experts as saying that the photos were not composites.
``The pictures do not seem to have been taken as works of art, as they were shot with a non-professional camera in a very private situation, considering Shin's expression,'' the daily quoted the experts.
One of the photographers was cited as saying, ``Considering there are no marks of underwear, the pictures were taken hours after she took it off. They seem to be a love token to show a close relationship between Shin and the person who took them, rather than works of art.''
The article also talked about the condition of her body, which was free of scars, raising suspicion about Shin's previous claims that she had survived the Sampoong Department Store collapse and had numerous scars.