[LETTERS TO THE EDITOR]KBS reporters in the wrong

I was exceptionally disappointed by your article on the detention of the KBS TV crew (“Seoul protests seizure in Iraq of KBS TV crew” March 8).
You failed to mention that the soldiers at the checkpoint have a Standard Operating Procedure that they are required to follow and not deviate from. Given the number of coalition soldiers killed at checkpoint incidents, one would expect that the KBS crew would have been not only exceptionally understanding but also cooperative.
This is particularly important given the number of forged passes and credentials floating around Baghdad. Since the reporters had been in Baghdad for more than a month, they especially should have been aware that U.S. troops have a procedure to deal with a possible explosive situation and should have not expected special treatment.
Apparently the KBS journalists believed that U.S. troops should throw caution to the wind and compromise their safety to afford anyone who claims to be a journalist special treatment! Unbelievable!
The conduct of the KBS reporters can only be described as shameful.
I hope in the future your articles will be better researched and more factual. Sometimes it helps to tell both sides of a story.

by Kevin Madden