Dr. Tara O, one of my favorite Korea analysts, has an article published about the prosecution and eventual conviction of a cartoonist and journalist which is just another example of the war on conservative journalists by the Moon administration:
Cartoon that led to libel conviction.
On September 11, 2018, the prosecutor proposed a 1-year sentence each for Mr. Yoon Seo-in, a cartoonist, and Mr. Kim Se-ui, a journalist, for libel at the final hearing at the Seoul Central District Court presided by judge Choi Mi-bok (최미복).
This libel lawsuit follows another libel lawsuit against a journalist, Mr. Byun Hee-jae, for defaming JTBC, a cable TV broadcaster. JTBC aired the tablet PC story, which played a crucial role in the former president Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. Byun has called out JTBC’s tablet PC story as fabricated. Byun’s characterization was corroborated by the special prosecutors’ own forensic report. However, Byun was sued for libel, and the Seoul Central District Court jailed Byun prior to trial. It is an unusual move to jail a journalist in South Korea, especially prior to a trial, although numerous political opponents have been jailed prior to trial since early 2017. Byun’s trial is currently underway.
Another worrisome event is that Moon’s Deoburreo Minju Party has submitted a “broadcast law reform” bill to regulate individuals who post videos on Youtube and other video sites as “mass media.” If this bill becomes law, then the individuals who post videos become “subject to government review” and if it does not like them, the government can “simply get rid of them,” criticized National Assemblyman Kim Jin-tae, Liberty Korea Party. This is after the Moon administration, along with Media Workers’ Union, took control over major broadcasters MBC and KBS. [East Asia Research Center]
You can read the whole thing at the link, but just like Byun Hee-jae who was jailed for writing something true, Yoon and Kim put together a cartoon that was true and were convicted.
Seoul court fined a cartoonist Yoon Seo-in & journalist Kim Se-ui $6,150 each over a satire cartoon in a libel suit. The Moon administration dislikes them for speaking out about Moon's policy toward North Korea, economy, security, etc. #FreedomofSpeechhttps://t.co/hnRwcLCCUO
An interesting fact from the article was how the South Korean media that was taken over by the Korean left through labor union violence, has slanted their coverage of the story. Even more interesting is that MBC after being taken over then had the architect of the phony US beef riots of 2008 put in charge as President.
You would think with the jailing and fining of journalists the international media would be rushing to cover this, but for one minor New York Times article there has been little coverage of this.
Below is a video of Korean journalist Byun Hee-jae being perp walked to court for a libel arrest where he releases a statement about his unfair arrest. ROK Heads may remember that Byun is the Korean journalist who has been disputing the origin of the tablet PC that led to the eventual impeachment of former President Park Gun-hye:
What I found ironic about the video was that the JTBC President of news, Son Suk-hee went after Byun for libel because of protests against him.
The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office requested the warrant as JTBC anchor Sohn Suk-hee and the reporters as well as their families felt threatened.
Byun and his readers held rallies in front of Sohn’s residence and the church Sohn’s wife attended. Byun also warned that Sohn “could be murdered by the forces trying to conceal the truth if he doesn’t reveal the truth himself.” Byun denied the libel charges, claiming he was raising reasonable suspicions. [Korea Herald]
First of all let me state that I do not support anyone protesting in front of someone’s home or church. With that said the Korean left used protests against board members of KBS and MBC news to get them to resign. Labor union members followed the board members and their families to universities, workplaces, churches and other locations they went and harassed them. The harassment became too much and the board members resigned thus allowing the Moon Jae-in administration to appoint left wing board members to seize control of MBC and KBS.
The consolidation of these networks under left wing control eliminated negative coverage of President Moon from two of the biggest media outlets in Korea. The arrest of Byun Hee-jae can arguably be described as yet another attempt to suppress negative media coverage of the Moon administration. By throwing him in jail it will send a message to journalists working at the two major conservative newspapers the Chosun Ilbo and Joong Ang Ilbo to not publish negative stories about the Moon administration or its allies or face being arrested.
The back and forth over President Yoon’s hot mic comments during his U.S. trip has become nothing more than partisan bickering at this point. With that said considering MBC’s past track record, it is very believable someone there would be willing to falsify President Yoon’s comments:
Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks at the National Assembly on Wednesday, where he said his party would seek to hold accountable those in the government responsible for a recent string of alleged diplomatic gaffes as well as a revision to the current limit on presidential terms. [YONHAP]
The People Power Party (PPP) said Tuesday it will create a task force to investigate what it called “selective and biased” subtitling of President Yoon Suk-yeol’s hot mic moment in New York last week.
The PPP’s announcement came the same day that the Democratic Party (DP) made clear it would push ahead with plans to punish those in the government it deems at fault for what it has characterized as a gaffe-ridden presidential tour of Britain, the United States and Canada.
The dueling plans by the rival parties represent an escalation in the political spat over comments made by Yoon at a fundraiser in New York hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden. (…..)
The comments could be heard in a video recording first released last week by MBC, or Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Some of Yoon’s remarks in the clip were drowned out by loud music and background noise.
Based on the broadcaster’s subtitles, Yoon was speaking about Biden losing face if he didn’t get congressional approval for something. Initial reports said he was referring to Biden’s pledge to contribute another $6 billion to the Global Fund, which would require U.S. Congress approval.
The PPP, led by floor leader Joo Ho-young, alleges that MBC distorted the president’s remarks.
“MBC basically incorporated tabloid speculation as subtitles for the president’s words,” Joo said at a gathering of all the party’s lawmakers at the National Assembly on Tuesday. “We believe that MBC violated basic journalistic ethics, including fact-checking, in its report,” he added.
Earlier, the presidential office denied that Yoon was referring to members of the U.S. Congress when he used the expletive, saying that he was actually talking about members of Korea’s National Assembly.
The PPP has already filed a libel lawsuit against MBC President and CEO Park Sung-jae, reporters and other relevant individuals for alleged disclosure of false information.
They argued that the report harmed Korea’s “national interests” and demanded an apology from MBC and its CEO’s resignation.
Another Korean journalist is heading to jail and yet the international media doesn’t seem to even care:
Journalist Woo Jong-chang on his YouTube Channel Lies and Truth (거짓과 진실)
Another journalist, Woo Jong-chang (우종창, 63), is jailed in South Korea after being convicted of the “crime” of “libel” for announcing “false information.” On July 17, 2020, Judge Ma Seong-yeong (마성영) (with judges Kim Young-hwan 김영환 and Yoon Jeong-un 윤정운 on the team) of the Seoul Northern District Criminal Court sentenced journalist Woo Jong-chang to eight months in jail for libel and “Violation of the Act on Promotion of Information and Communication Network Utilization and Information Protection” and imprisoned him. When the sentence was announced, a woman sitting in the court yelled out, “Is this a dictatorship? How can this happen?”
Judge Ma Seong-yeong stated, “As a journalist, he did not even go through the process of confirming the minimum facts and forced false information through broadcasting.”
I highly recommend that everyone read the whole article from Dr. Tara O at the link. If what Woo reported on his Youtube channel from a tip he received is true it would be very problematic for the Blue House.
However, could you imagine what would happen to the U.S. news media if every tip they reported on led to them being prosecuted for libel and put in jail?
Sung Sang-hoon (성상훈), a journalist who runs the Global Defense News (글로벌디펜스뉴스) YouTube channel and website, was arrested and jailed on May 13, 2020.
His “crime” was saying the Chinese man, who fell over and died in early February in front of a public health clinic, may have died of Coronavirus. The suppression of YouTubers and journalists already began under the Moon administration, including demonetizing many of them, but some expect it will get worse, especially since the ruling party has won by a landslide in the April 2020 general election, which is itself a huge controversy in South Korea. While many YouTubers are covering the election fraud issue extensively, the mainstream media hardly prints or broadcasts this issue.
I recommend reading the whole article at the link, but essentially Sung was jailed because he questioned whether a Korean-Chinese man who fell over and died in front of a clinic had coronavirus. He was trying to make the point that the Chinese brought the coronavirus to South Korea which the Moon administration has made efforts to deny.
Because of his statement he was sued for libel by the Pyeongtaek mayor who is part of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea. So like other journalists sued with libel laws he was arrested and jailed.
Could you imagine what the reaction in the media around the world would be if President Trump started jailing journalists, yet the international media has had zero interest in journalists being jailed in South Korea.
Now 2 journalists in jail: Byun Hee-jae (2 yrs) & Hwang Ui-won (1 yr) for correctly pointing out JTBC's false reporting of "the tablet PC." The judge wasn't even interested in further discovery. They are in appeals now. Why are they in jail at all for libel? https://t.co/Lsh6E1ZEuU
Every Korean leftist’s favorite news presenter, Sohn Suk-hee is in trouble:
Sohn Suk-hee, the chief and well-known news presenter of the cable channel JTBC, faced police questioning Saturday over an allegation that he used violence against a freelance journalist. Sohn was accused of punching the journalist in the face several times during a dinner meeting in Seoul in January. The journalist, identified only by his surname, Kim, insisted that Sohn offered him a job at JTBC, then assaulted him after he rejected the offer. Kim said he was reporting on a car accident in which Sohn was involved a few years ago. To undergo the police questioning, Sohn arrived at a police station in western Seoul at 7:40 a.m. for his first police questioning since the scandal arose in early January. The JTBC chief has denied the allegation against him. He has filed a charge accusing Kim of extortion.
ROK Heads may remember that Sohn is in charge of JTBC which was the news station that aired the report about the tablet PC that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye. However, since Park’s impeachment conservative journalists have proven that JTBC aired fake news to help bring her down.
Sohn Suk-hee then sued these journalists for libel that challenged JTBC’s reporting even though the reports were based on facts. The journalists were then sent to jail. It will be interesting to see if Sohn who committed a real crime, if the report of the assault is true, is sent to jail. If so he should be put in a cell right next to the journalists he had jailed.
Prosecutor Hong Seong-joon asked for 5 years jail for journalist Byun Hee-jai, already jailed prior to trial. For libel! This shouldn't be prosecuted at all, much less 5 yrs. Not guilty would delegitimize #MoonJaein govt. Breakdown in #RuleOfLaw. Suppression of #FreedomofthePresshttps://t.co/qhMbVnPgzT
Dr. Taro O has an update on the prosecution of South Korean journalist Byun Hee-jae who was jailed for writing something true. The crux of the matter really comes to the authenticity of the PC Tablet that led to the impeachment of former President Park:
It turned out, according to the prosecutor’s own forensic report, that the tablet PC was not legitimate evidence of the alleged activity. There were no edited files in the tablet, despite JTBC’s claims, which said Choi carried the tablet PC around and edited documents, including the Dresden speech. Incidentally, Park gave the Dresden speech on March 18, 2014. The Dresden speech file found in the tablet was loaded onto the tablet on March 27, 2018, which is after the fact, and it was a .gif file. Additionally, the tablet did not even have editing software (HWP software), so there was no capability to edit the Korean language document. (17:11) The records show that there was software for viewing only, which was loaded in November 2012 and was used to view documents until January 2013, and nothing after that, until 8 a.m., October 18, 2016–8 hours before JTBC “found” the tablet. (17:11)
The forensic report was 700 pages long and difficult to understand. (Byun, 119) The report findings were inconclusive as to who owned the tablet. In fact, the tablet was set up by Kim Han-soo (김한수),former Blue House executive officer. Kim Han-soo went to SK Telecom on June 22, 2012 and opened an account for the tablet under his company’s name “Malay Company.” (1:23) This was around the time of the presidential elections. On October 8, 2017, Shin Hye-won (신혜원) came forward to say the tablet is hers–that she was the primary user. Shin worked on then-candidate Park Geun-hye’s campaign in 2012. She saw in the media various photos, documents, and phone numbers found in the tablet and recognized them. Even Ko Young-tae (고영태), a key witness who helped the special prosecutor during the impeachment trial, stated “I understand that she [Choi] is not the type of person who can use a tablet PC,” placing doubt on the claim that the tablet belongs to Choi or that she used it. Choi has also said the tablet does not belong to her, that she does not even know how to use it, that she has never even seen the tablet in question, and asked to see the tablet. (1:40) The court never showed her the tablet. (1:54)
Despite these and other facts that raise serious questions about the integrity of JTBC’s claim that the tablet is Choi’s and that Choi edited the documents, thereby “having the monopoly of the state affairs”–Gukjeong Nongdan–the National Assembly used the tablet as the “evidence” to impeach Park. Thus Park was impeached based on an absurd, illogical accusation incited by JTBC and the media that stirred up the Korean people’s passions. [East Asia Research Center]
Byun Hee-jai has asked judge Park Joo-young for further examination of the tablet to try to determine who it belongs to. Of seven witnesses Byun asked for, the judge allowed only two journalists from JTBC–Seo Bokyun (서복현) and Cho Taek-soo (조택수), and rejected Choi Seo-won, Shin Hye-won, Ko Young-tae, Kim Hans-soo, and No Seung-gwon (노승권) (former prosecutor who lied that the file was in the tablet when it was not) as witnesses. (1:15) It seems pretty clear that the tablet does not belong to Choi. At minimum, there are serious questions whether the tablet is Choi’s or not. As stated above, the prosecutor’s report is inconclusive. Yet prosecutor Hong Seong-joon maintains that the tablet belongs to Choi Seo-won.
If the verdict is not reached by the expiration date of the trial, which is early December, Byun must be released from jail. (1:45) There are signs that the trial is being rushed in order to reach a decision prior to that date–the judge rejected other requests from the accused, including putting the key witnesses on the stand, as stated above, and not allowing an examination to try to determine who owns the tablet. The judge seems set to make a decision without hard evidence.
I recommend reading the whole article at the link, but the Moon administration has been able to silence the Druking investigation into online opinion tampering, so I would not be surprised if they are able to silence Byun Hee-jae and other conservative journalists reporting on the Tablet PC as well through the libel laws. I hope I am pleasantly surprised and the judge drops the charges against Byun, but I guess we will see what happens in the coming weeks.
"Democracy dies in darkness"https://t.co/9qHjbtRTag This time, it's Im Jong-seok, President Moon's Chief of Staff with the well-documented history of pro-North Korean activism, suing a conservative journalist & commentator for calling him "jusapa," a North Korean sympathizer.
![Democratic Party Chairman Lee Jae-myung speaks at the National Assembly on Wednesday, where he said his party would seek to hold accountable those in the government responsible for a recent string of alleged diplomatic gaffes as well as a revision to the current limit on presidential terms. [YONHAP]](https://i0.wp.com/koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2022/09/28/9ed971f7-5449-4066-a5f9-a2d5eda4ac51.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
