Ruling party slammed for undermining foreign press
Criticism is mounting against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for its thoughtless reaction to the labeling of President Moon Jae-in as "chief spokesman for Kim Jong-un" by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won.
Rep. Na made the remark during a speech at the National Assembly, March 12, sparking a clash with the ruling party. A Realmeter survey published after her remark showed 50.3 percent of the people thought it was inappropriate, while 39.1 percent agreed with it. Even though a considerable number of people sympathized with the statement, it was still wrong for a lawmaker to shame the President by using such extreme language during a speech in the National Assembly.
The LKP floor leader later explained that she was quoting a foreign media report. Rep. Na was apparently referring to a Bloomberg article that described Moon as "Kim Jong-un's top spokesman at U.N." in September 2018. Moon was in New York to take part in the U.N. General Assembly at the time and during his visit there, the South Korean leader made some favorable remarks about Kim to underline the trust they had built during their multiple summits and convince the international community of Kim's sincerity toward denuclearization.
After Na recycled "top spokesman" in her own speech, the DPK issued a statement slamming Na and her party for mocking the President. But there are grave problems with the DPK's reaction that showed its lack of respect toward the media and complete lack of understanding of the foreign media, not to mention an infringement on freedom of speech.
In a statement released March 13, the DPK called the Bloomberg article "notorious," while making unnecessary comments about the reporter who wrote the article. There was no reason for the DPK to disclose the name and other personal information of the writer. It even accused the reporter of "betraying the country" by insulting the head of state in a U.S.-based news outlet.
In another statement released the next day, the DPK criticized a New York Times article by a Korean correspondent that was quoted by new LKP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn in his defense of his party's floor leader. The DPK even used the term "black-haired foreign reporters," referring to Koreans who work for the foreign press.
Both statements carry inexcusable offenses to foreign news outlets and reporters. But they are still shown on the DPK's website. The Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club and the Asian American Journalists Association issued statements condemning the ruling party for targeting the reporters who work for the foreign press.
The ruling party should swiftly retract all statements carrying discriminatory content on foreign media and apologize to the reporters mentioned in the statements.
Criticism is mounting against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) for its thoughtless reaction to the labeling of President Moon Jae-in as "chief spokesman for Kim Jong-un" by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) floor leader Rep. Na Kyung-won.
Rep. Na made the remark during a speech at the National Assembly, March 12, sparking a clash with the ruling party. A Realmeter survey published after her remark showed 50.3 percent of the people thought it was inappropriate, while 39.1 percent agreed with it. Even though a considerable number of people sympathized with the statement, it was still wrong for a lawmaker to shame the President by using such extreme language during a speech in the National Assembly.
The LKP floor leader later explained that she was quoting a foreign media report. Rep. Na was apparently referring to a Bloomberg article that described Moon as "Kim Jong-un's top spokesman at U.N." in September 2018. Moon was in New York to take part in the U.N. General Assembly at the time and during his visit there, the South Korean leader made some favorable remarks about Kim to underline the trust they had built during their multiple summits and convince the international community of Kim's sincerity toward denuclearization.
After Na recycled "top spokesman" in her own speech, the DPK issued a statement slamming Na and her party for mocking the President. But there are grave problems with the DPK's reaction that showed its lack of respect toward the media and complete lack of understanding of the foreign media, not to mention an infringement on freedom of speech.
In a statement released March 13, the DPK called the Bloomberg article "notorious," while making unnecessary comments about the reporter who wrote the article. There was no reason for the DPK to disclose the name and other personal information of the writer. It even accused the reporter of "betraying the country" by insulting the head of state in a U.S.-based news outlet.
In another statement released the next day, the DPK criticized a New York Times article by a Korean correspondent that was quoted by new LKP chairman Hwang Kyo-ahn in his defense of his party's floor leader. The DPK even used the term "black-haired foreign reporters," referring to Koreans who work for the foreign press.
Both statements carry inexcusable offenses to foreign news outlets and reporters. But they are still shown on the DPK's website. The Seoul Foreign Correspondents Club and the Asian American Journalists Association issued statements condemning the ruling party for targeting the reporters who work for the foreign press.
The ruling party should swiftly retract all statements carrying discriminatory content on foreign media and apologize to the reporters mentioned in the statements.
