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In relation to the report on the controversy surrounding the president’s profanity, foreign media bureau chiefs and reporters who have been covering Korea for a long time have publicly criticized the ruling party’s response.
Journalists from major media outlets, including the Washington Post, CNN, and Reuters, were concerned about the loss of press freedom, saying, “A defamation charge scares the typical press.”
Reporter Jang Seul-gi will tell you.
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“If Korea is a country based on the pillars of freedom, it should have freedom of speech that does not fear interference” (head of the Seoul economy office)
“All journalists should be able to work without fear or favor of the subject they cover” (Washington Post Seoul bureau chief)
When the ruling party accused MBC of defamation in relation to reporting on the president’s blasphemy, heads of foreign media bureaus in Seoul and reporters posted public messages on Twitter one after the other, expressing concerns about the loss of press freedom.
The BBC and CNN Seoul bureau chiefs also posted on their Twitter a statement from the International Federation of Journalists, stating that “accusations of defamation are a classic example of media intimidation.”
The operator of NK News, a leading US media outlet specializing in North Korea, expressed concern that the next target of pressure from the ruling party could be foreign media.
[차드 오캐럴/NK뉴스 대표]
“It is very unfortunate that People’s Power has accused MBC. Foreign reporters in Korea are also interested in this matter because we can become the next MBC.”
Seoul correspondent ‘EFE’, which delivers news to the Spanish-speaking world as the world’s fourth largest news agency, was also worried that the incident could set a dangerous precedent.
[안드레스 산체스 브라운/EFE 서울특파원]
“Anyone may have to think twice before reporting anything related to the president’s office in the future.”
International journalists’ organizations also continued to express their position.
The CPJ, a non-profit organization that has awarded the International Press Freedom Award to reporters who take risks and report, said, “The power of the people should drop the charge.”
“We must stop threatening the media for doing unfriendly reports about the president,” the CPJ said.
This is Seulgi Jang from MBC News.
Video Editing: Kwon Ji-eun
■ Name of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
https://www.ifj.org/media-centre/news/detail/category/press-releases/article/south-korea-mbc-network-sued-for-defamation-by-ruling-party.html
■ The position of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
https://twitter.com/CPJAsia/status/1577055900849692672
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