Chinese media distorted remarks about Park impeachment

By Kang Seung-woo

Kim Sang-gon

Kim Sang-gon, one of the three candidates running for the chairmanship of the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK), said Tuesday his remarks about President Park Geun-hye over the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) issue were overblown by the Chinese media.

Kim recently made the headlines of several Chinese media outlets, including the Global Times, after being quoted as saying that President Park can be impeached if she continues to ignore growing public opposition to the deployment of a U.S. THAAD battery in the southeastern county of Seongju.

Kim, a former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province, made such comments at a joint debate among the candidates on Aug. 6 and in a radio interview on Aug. 9.

“I think my remarks were distorted,” Kim said Tuesday.

“It was my reply to a general question about the impeachment (with no relation to THAAD). But cutting the head and tail of the remarks, they quoted my words as they wished.”

During the joint debate, Kim said a call for impeachment is inevitable if President Park continues to turn a deaf ear to public opinion.

“Also, I said several times that despite the escalating public opposition, it would not be possible to impeach the President,” Kim said.

China has staged strong protests against the envisioned deployment of the U.S. missile defense system, claiming THAAD’s radar will monitor its military activities.

In line with their government, the Chinese media are also trying to shed light on those who oppose the THAAD deployment here.

In the wake of their criticism of the Korean government and President Park, Cheong Wa Dae struck back at the Chinese media earlier this month, urging it to put more attention on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats rather than the THAAD deployment. Seoul and Washington decided in July to bring the THAAD system on the Korean Peninsula amid growing hostilities from Pyongyang.

“If the Chinese media continue releasing unreasonable reports, the negative opinion toward China will only increase here,” said a government source.