What I find interesting about this is that JTBC ran a fake news story that ultimately led to the impeachment of the South Korean president with no consequences; TV Chosun airs a far less significant fake news story and they are having legal action taken against them:
A scene from a TV Chosun broadcast on May 19 which claimed North Korean officials had demanded US$10,000 per reporter from overseas press during the shutdown of the nuclear test site at Punggye Village. (captured from TV Chosun)
A controversial false report by the TV Chosun network claiming North Korea demanded US$10,000 for coverage of the dismantlement of its Punggye Village nuclear test site was subsequent to heavy disciplinary action in the form of “legal measures” by the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) broadcasting subcommittee for violation of objectivity. TV Chosun is a conservative network that began broadcasting under Chosun Ilbo on Dec. 1, 2011.In a meeting convened on June 21, the subcommittee heard opinions and accounts from TV Chosun information center deputy chief Jeong Seok-yeong and political desk chief Kang Sang-gu before reaching a majority decision to refer the matter to the KCSC plenary session.
On May 19, TV Chosun aired an “exclusive” on “News 7” claiming North Korea had demanded US$10,000 per person from US journalists for coverage of the dismantlement of the nuclear test site at Punggye Village.In his appearance before the subcommittee that day, Kang said that he himself had been the segment’s writer rather than Eom Seong-seop, the journalist who delivered the report.“I basically wrote the piece,”
Kang said.When asked by review committee members if TV Chosun had different journalists investigating stories, writing reports, and reading reports, Kang replied, “There are such cases in the interest of protecting sources.”TV Chosun claimed the report was based on interviews with two US journalists and North Korean officials. While it did not disclose the names of the US reporters, it described them as “reliable journalists.” But neither of them was actually present for coverage at Punggye Village. South Korean and overseas new outlets confirmed that no such money had been paid by members of the foreign press present at the dismantlement, including CNN’s Will Ripley. [Hankyoreh]
You can read more a the link, but TV Chosun is really the only conservative TV news station left in South Korea since the Moon administration used labor unions and violence to consolidate control over the other major news networks. This is clearly a shot across the bow by the ROK government to get them to moderate their coverage.
The cynic in me though does wonder if TV Chosun was setup or not by whoever gave them the information about the payments to North Korea?
I guess we will see how the Moon administration tries to end South Korea’s human rights act since the Kim regime through their state controlled media is demanding it:
North Korea’s state media on Sunday demanded the abolishment of South Korea’s human rights act and a foundation dedicated to its enforcement, arguing they only hamper efforts to improve cross-border ties.
The call came weeks after Seoul closed the office for the state-run foundation due to a yearslong delay in its official launch, which was caused by political hurdles. The government, however, pledged continued efforts for the launch.
“The North Korean human rights act, which the cohorts of (former President) Park Geun-hye manipulated, must be abolished, while the North Korean human rights foundation, an institution designed to plot against our republic, ought to be buried away,” said Uriminzokkiri, a North Korean propaganda website. [Yonhap]
You can read more at the link, but ROK Heads may remember that last the Moon administration closed the ROK government’s office for human rights citing administrative issues.
Moon returns from Russia where he pitched his own Northern Strategy (the "Northern Silk Road") to Putin, Medvedev and the Russian lower house. SK railroad officials accompanied him to confer with Russian ones re connecting to the Trans-Siberian Railwayhttps://t.co/sio2gDj7ra
There must be a political calculus behind this designation by the ROK government considering it has happened decades after the fact:
This undated photo provided by the defense ministry shows a German doctor examining a patient at a German hospital set up in Busan in 1954 after the Korean War. (Yonhap)
Germany has been belatedly classified among the participating nations in the Korean War, as South Korea has added the European country to the list of countries that provided medical assistance during the 1950-53 war, government officials said Friday.
The Ministry of National Defense has designated Germany as the sixth provider of medical support to the war-stricken South Korea 64 years ago, saying that Germans set up a hospital in Busan in May 1954 and engaged in medical assistance activities.
After the outbreak of the war on the Korean Peninsula, 21 countries contributed to the United Nations force that came to the aid of South Korea against North Korea, which was backed by China and the then Soviet Union.
Sixteen countries sent combat troops to South Korea, while four countries — Norway, Denmark, Sweden and India — sent medical units and Italy provided a hospital to the South.
In May 1953, two months before the ceasefire, Germany notified the U.N. headquarters of its intent to set up a field hospital in South Korea to support U.N. soldiers participating in the Korean War and sent a medical unit of around 80 staff the following year.
But the European country was not included among the Korean War providers of medical aid because its medical support activities began after the armistice treaty was signed on July 27, 1953. [Yonhap]
You can read the rest at the link, but President Moon decided to pursue this designation after a trip to Germany last year where he met with former German medical team members.
President Moon Jae-in, left, then the floor leader of New Politics Alliance for Democracy Party, greets former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil at Seoul Asan Hospital in 2015. Yonhap
Former Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil died Saturday at age 92. Kim died at 8:15 a.m., an aide said.
Kim was taken to Soonchunhyang University Hospital in Seoul from his home in Shindang-dong, and he was already dead on arrival, hospital officials said.
He is believed to have died of old age.
Born in 1926, Kim graduated from the Korea Military Academy and played a key role in the 1961 military coup led by Park Chung-hee, who rose to president and ruled South Korea for 18 years.
Kim served as prime minister twice, first from 1971-1975 and then from 1998-2000.
He also served nine terms as a lawmaker and was considered one of South Korea’s most influential politicians in the 1980s-90s. He was known as one of the “three Kims,” together with former Presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung. [Korea Times]
The modern Korean history that Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil was part of is simply incredible. He was even responsible for an agricultural first by creating Jeju’s first tangerine orchard in 1968.
The Korea Times has the details on how Jeju Island became a haven for Yemeni refugees:
Jeju islanders were thrilled to hear the news in December that the budget airline Air Asia had just begun operating direct flights between the island and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, four times a week.
Airfare for return trips is just $200 to $300, depending on dates. To promote the nonstop flights, Air Asia began one-year hot deals for selected passengers where they could travel back and forth if they pay only 79,000 won ($70).
Besides the cheaper airfare, the shortened travel time is another plus; Jeju residents no longer need to transfer at Incheon International Airport to go to Malaysia.
The local government was excited as well in hopes that Jeju would attract more tourists from Southeast Asian countries amid a sudden decrease of Chinese tourists because of the fallout from the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) deployment. The local economy would benefit with an increase of foreign tourists.
Months later, such sweeping optimism has turned into worries.
The scenic southern island, which has long been a hot tourist destination for Koreans as well as foreigners, has experienced a rapid surge of unexpected visitors _ Yemeni refugees.
As of June 21, 486 Yemenis, who escaped from their war-torn country in search of hope and a better life, are staying on the island, seeking asylum. [Korea Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but what the Korean government has done in response is removed Yemen from the visa waiver list to stop the refugees from coming.
The problem you run into with false rape accusations is that authorities are likely hesitant to investigate much less prosecute because they will be accused of “blaming the victim”:
More than 220,000 people have signed an online petition calling for the government and the National Assembly to toughen the law against false accusations of sex crimes.
As of Thursday, 220,450 people have signed the petition on the Cheong Wa Dae website. The person who posted the plea on May 25 said Korea needs a law that punishes those who take advantage of its faulty justice system with heavier penalties.
“False accusations destroy the lives of the accused and their families. Nevertheless, accusers rarely face legal consequences, and when they do, they get off lightly,” the person said.
The call came after YouTube star Yang Ye-won’s controversial claims that she was forced to model for pornographic pictures at a Seoul photo studio in 2015. After it was revealed that she asked the accused photographer to give her more photo opportunities, which she did not mention during her YouTube “confession,” many people have doubted her claims and expressed fear of false allegations.
According to the Ministry of Justice’s investigation guidelines, prosecutors and police cannot initiate investigations into alleged false accusations of sex crimes until they conclude that the accused is evidently innocent. [Korea Times]
Kim Jae-il (R), a senior official of the Korea Customs Service (KCS) in charge of narcotic control, poses with Jesse Fong, Far East regional director of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), at his office in Seoul on June 20, 2018, after signing an MOU on enhancing cooperation on drug busts. This photo was provided courtesy of the KCS. (Yonhap)
It has long been known by Korea watchers that President Moon Jae-in’s Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok has prolific communist and pro-North Korean past. Over at One Free Korea, Dr. Tara O has a guest post that provides detailed background information that shows how immersed Im was in communist ideology before entering the Blue House. What I found really interesting was how during the Roo Moo-hyun administration Im founded a group that collected royalties for the Kim regime in North Korea:
Im Jong-seok
In 2005, Im Jong-seok founded and led as chairman, the South-North Economic and Cultural Cooperation Foundation (남북경제문화협력재단). The Foundation has been collecting royalties from MBC, KBS, SBS, and other TV and online broadcasters for North Korean TV footage. According to the Ministry of Unification, the foundation collected an estimated $1,876,700 over 13 years and transferred the royalties to North Korea until the Cheonan sinking in 2010. It is still collecting royalties on behalf of North Korea’s Chosun Central Broadcasting Commission, with the plans to transfer the money once the sanctions are lifted. The foundation even called the Ministry of Defense Public Affairs and demanded royalties for using the missile test footage in July 2017. North Korea does not pay for footage from South Korean broadcasts.
The foundation also has other revenue streams. One is membership and the other is education & research. It collects about 32,700,000 Won (~$30,000) on average for its annual membership. It also became a contractor to the Seoul City and Seongdong District governments, developing South-North “peace education” programs. What is interesting is that the contract with Seoul City was signed on the same day as when Park Won-soon, Seoul City Mayor, appointed Im Jong-seok as the Deputy Mayor on June 11, 2014. Im was the campaign manager for Park prior to that in 2014, and successfully led to Park Won-soon’s re-election. [One Free Korea]
You can read much more at the link where Dr. O in painstaking detail lists all of Im Jong-seok’s communist and pro-North Korean ties. Does anyone think that Im Jong-seok who less than a decade ago was collecting royalties to send to the Kim regime is interested in being an honest broker now between the US and North Korea?
Here is the latest crackdown by the ROK government on illegal immigrant workers in South Korea:
Migrant workers are caught working illegally in Korea. Courtesy of Ministry of Justice
The Korean government is cracking down on undocumented migrant workers across the country.
The Ministry of Justice said Friday its main target is foreigners who work here illegally after entering the country through visa-waiver programs ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
According to the ministry, the number of undocumented migrant workers surged to 312,346 in May from 251,041 in December 2017.
More than 14,600 undocumented migrant workers have been caught this year, up 7.3 percent from the same period last year; many were Thai women who took advantage of the visa-waiver programs to work at massage parlors and bars here.
Illegal immigrants, if caught, are deported immediately and their employers could face a maximum of three years in prison or a fine of 20 million won ($18,000).
The ministry said the crackdown will continue throughout the year. [Korea Times]
ROK Heads may remember that South Korea launched an immigration reform measure two years ago that caused many illegal immigrants to self deport, but it appears the need for more prostitutes prior to the Winter Olympics caused a surge in illegal immigration again.
