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Commission comes down hard on MBC over Yoon hot mic moment

Published: 21 Feb. 2024, 13:46

LEE SOO-JUNG
[email protected]

Korea Communications Standards Commission’s chairperson Ryu Hee-Lim presides over a meeting with the committee governing broadcast content reviews on Tuesday in western Seoul. The meeting was joined by news production staff from nine broadcasters who shared their statements about President Yoon Suk Yeol's hot mic moment during his visit to the United States in 2022. [NEWS1]

The Korea Communications Standards Commission decided to impose the harshest penalty against public broadcaster MBC on Tuesday regarding its coverage of President Yoon Suk Yeol's hot mic moment during his visit to the United States in 2022.

The committee reviewing broadcasting content unanimously decided to impose a financial penalty on MBC.

The decision was made after the authority received statements from news production staff from nine broadcasters — MBC, KBS, SBS, OBS, TV Chosun, JTBC, Channel A, MBN and YTN.

In September 2022, MBC released a video of Yoon with the subtitles saying "If those [expletive] do not pass it in the [parliament], [Biden] will lose face,” while Yoon was exiting the Global Fund's Seventh Replenishment Conference in the United States.

However, the presidential office said then that the actual word used was nallimeun, the Korean word for "throw out," rather than "Biden.”

There is a seven-tier system for punishments which has two administrative measures — “suggestion” and “advice” and five legal disciplinary measures — “warning,” “caution,” “disciplinary action against related persons,” “correction or rectification or suspension” and “penalty.”

The authority ordered another news channel YTN to have its officials disciplined. YTN did not make a correction report, however, said the court's ruling.

Four other broadcasters — KBS, SBS, TV Chosun and MBN — which aired correction reports or posted official apologies after the court’s primary ruling in January, received a relatively lighter punishment, which is “advice.”

The committee’s deliberation came after the court sided with the Foreign Ministry last month, which said MBC’s report was untrue.

Of the five committee members, the Commission’s chairperson Ryu Hee-Lim, standing commissioner Hwang Seong-Wook and commissioner Lee Jung-ok — all endorsed by the ruling People Power Party (PPP) — were present at Tuesday’s meeting. The other commissioner Moon Jae-wan was absent because of business travel and the Democratic Party-supported commissioner Yoon Sung-Ock has not appeared at the committee’s meeting for a month.

Public broadcaster MBC's footage of President Yoon Suk Yeol's hot mic moment in New York in September 2022, featuring a subtitle that referred to the U.S. Congress with an expletive. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

In the meeting, the commission clashed with MBC.

“It is fair to say that the media escalated the president’s private conversation to a diplomatic issue by reporting Yoon’s words between its advisers and staff,” Hwang said.

“News reporting should not be blamed [for such an escalation],” said Park Beom-soo, the head of the reporting center at MBC.

“The broadcaster should have checked whether the transcriptions and context were correct through cross-checking with Yoon and his staff on site,” Lee from the commission said. “Airing unclear context as if it were truth violates broadcasting deliberation rules.”

“We sought clarification on Sep. 22, 2022, however, the stance from the presidential office came back 16 hours later. We shall appeal against the court’s first ruling,” Park from MBC said.

“The committee’s decision shows that favoritism and partisanship in the media landscape climaxed,” the broadcaster said. “MBC will utilize all viable measures under the name of the constitution and common sense [to fight back against the unfair treatment] when the legal disciplinary measure is confirmed.”

“The institution forgets its collegial system with six commissioners backed by PPP and one by the opposing party. The current commission under Ryu’s control misappropriates the dynamics stemming from the unlevel playing field. It is now taking retaliatory measures,” MBC said in a statement.

“Such politicized behaviors of advocating the presidential power must stop and the broadcasting authority should have waited until the Supreme Court makes its final verdict."

BY LEE SOO-JUNG, HAN JEE-HYE [[email protected]]