Presidential office files complaint against opposition lawmaker for 'fake news' on first lady

First lady Kim Keon-hee holds a Cambodian child suffering a congenital heart disease during her visit to the boy's home in Phnom Penh, Nov. 12. The presidential office said Tuesday that it has filed a complaint with police against Rep. Jang Kyung-tae of the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea. Courtesy of Yonhap News Agency

By Nam Hyun-woo

The presidential office filed a complaint with the police against main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) Rep. Jang Kyung-tae for “spreading false information” about photos taken earlier this month during first lady Kim Keon-hee's visit with a Cambodian child suffering a congenital heart disease. The presidential office complained that Jang had described the first lady's photo shoot as a “concept shoot using at least two or three lights and other on-site studio-level equipment.”

Rep. Jang had stirred up debate over his remarks that Kim's photo shoot amounted to “poverty porn,” or the exploitation of people in impoverished conditions to garner sympathy or support for a cause, and that it was a diplomatic discourtesy as she met the child instead of attending an official program organized at the same time for spouses of visiting world leaders. He is now under investigation by the National Assembly's ethics committee.

The presidential office said it filed a complaint against Jang with the police for his remarks during a Nov. 18 DPK Supreme Council member meeting and subsequent Facebook posting.

During the meeting, Jang described the photos as “using at least two or three lights and other on-site studio-level equipment.”

Jang also wrote on Facebook on Nov. 19 that “Kim has broken an international taboo by setting up lighting equipment on the sidelines of the president's official trip.”

The photos Jang was referring to were depicting Kim holding a Cambodian child suffering a congenital heart disease during her visit to the boy's home in Phnom Penh, Nov. 12, while President Yoon Suk-yeol was in Cambodia for the ASEAN Summit.

The photos went viral online following claims that she was trying to imitate an image of British actress Audrey Hepburn from her charity work for UNICEF in Somalia in 1992.

During the meeting, Jang supported his claims, saying that “foreign media and photography experts analyze the photo of Kim Keon-hee as having been taken with at least two to three lights to create an on-site studio, as a concept photo shoot, rather than being a photograph taken of the natural volunteering process.” It later turned out he was citing a posting on the U.S.-based global web forum Reddit, which had since been deleted.

Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Jang Kyung-tae speaks during a party meeting at the National Assembly on Yeouido, Seoul, Nov. 16. Yonhap

The presidential office said it decided to file a complaint with the place against the lawmaker for “spreading false information” and “fake news.”

“Solid evidence proves that there was no lighting at the scene, which the office will submit to the investigative authority,” the office said in a statement. “However, Jang spread the fake news based on false content of unknown origin posted on an internet forum.”

The office continued that it has fully explained that there was no lighting at the scene, but Jang continued amplifying the false information without fact-checking it.

“The presidential office is unable to ignore this because it infringed directly on the country's diplomatic interests and the people's rights and interests,” the statement reads.

“Visiting difficult sites in our partner countries and comforting them and sharing our emotions are part of diplomatic activities that the majority of countries have been doing. Promoting friendship with our partner countries has long been a subject of bipartisan support because it is related directly to national interests.”

The office continued, “The government of Cambodia, a friendly country, is conveying its gratitude for the related schedule, but the opposition party is spreading fake news and inciting conflict between the two countries, which is not helping the national interest in any way.”

Rather, it criticized, “It is aimed at undermining diplomatic achievements and such damage is related directly to the public.”