YTN apologizes for airing wrong ballot number for Rebuilding Korea Party

General election 2024

Published: 10 Apr. 2024, 18:22 Updated: 10 Apr. 2024, 18:25

YTN apologizes for airing wrong ballot number for Rebuilding Korea Party

A caption misnumbering the Rebuilding Korea Party is broadcast during a morning program of local news channel YTN. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Local news channel YTN apologized to the Rebuilding Korea Party, led by former Justice Minister Cho Kuk, after it requested an apology and explanation for incorrectly broadcasting the party’s proportional candidate number on Wednesday morning.

“Today, we sent out a caption misnumbering the Rebuilding Korea Party as 10 for 57 seconds from 7:47 a.m.,” YTN said in the press release. “We would like to apologize to the party and viewers [for the caption].”

The party’s proportional candidate number was number nine in the April 10 general election.

Shin Jang-sik, the party’s spokesperson, said in an earlier comment that YTN and National Assembly TV sent out Rebuilding Korea Party’s proportional candidate number as 10.

“The National Assembly TV broadcast the party’s number incorrectly three times from 7:35 a.m. to 7:57 a.m., a total of some 48 seconds,” he added.

National Assembly TV said that it received the incorrect caption from YTN and broadcasted it, according to Shin.

“So the problem is YTN,” he said. “YTN’s election officials said that it was a simple mistake by the staff and that the news anchor pointed out its mistake and apologized at the end of the program.”

He added that such a mistake on the day of the election cannot be seen as just a simple mistake, and the party requested that the broadcaster release a statement including an explanation and an apology.

The news broadcaster added that it would open an emergency committee to investigate the case and decide whether to punish those involved.

“We will take thorough measures to prevent any similar broadcasting accidents from occurring in the future.”

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]