MBC under fire for exam question about late mayor's accuser

MBC's headquarters in Mapo-gu, western Seoul / Yonhap

By Lee Hyo-jin

Local broadcaster MBC has come under fire for including an essay question about the woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint against the late Seoul mayor in its employee entrance exam held on Sunday.

In a written examination for prospective reporters, applicants were tasked to write an essay in response to the question, “How should the late Mayor Park Won-soon's accuser be described: an alleged victim or a victim? You may also suggest another appropriate term.”

The term “alleged victim” has been used by several politicians including Lee Hae-chan, former chairman of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK). In his apology regarding the sexual harassment allegations against Park, Lee avoided describing the woman as a “victim” and stated, “We are deeply sorry for the alleged victim's suffering.”

Lee's word choice was met with heavy public backlash, especially from women's rights activists. They condemned him for refusing to accept the accuser as a victim and deliberately using an ambiguous phrase. The DPK later apologized and decided to use the word “victim.”

But for some reason MBC has chosen to bring up the controversial term in its recruitment examination taken by more than 400 applicants. Exam takers, politicians and the union at MBC are demanding a public apology, calling it “another form of violence towards the victim.”

Park's accuser, a former secretary, called MBC's behavior “extremely cruel,” according to her lawyer Kim Jae-ryun on Monday.

“It is very disappointing that MBC has decided to use the inappropriate term to make hundreds of people gossip about the victim,” Kim said.

Applicants who took the exam are also heavily criticizing the public broadcaster through an internet community widely used among jobseekers in the media industry.

“It is unbelievable that not a single employee at MBC raised any questions about the given topic,” a member of the community said.

Another comment read, “Imagine the trauma the victim may suffer if she knew that hundreds of random people were discussing her.”

Some speculated that the broadcaster may have intended to use the controversial topic to discern the applicants' political leanings so the broadcaster could ensure the new reporters shared its viewpoint.

Following public criticism, MBC's union issued a statement on Monday demanding the executives provide clarification. It also urged them to disclose the examiner who chose the essay topic.

“The exam topic raises questions of whether the company intended to hire employees with distorted views on gender awareness. Management must take full responsibility for this serious issue,” read the statement.