"Japanese Media Calls Korean Press 'Giregi,' Sparking Controversy Over Korean Media Disparagement"

The Sankei Shimbun's series "Research on Korean Media Called 'Giregi'" started on the 16th. Photo by Yonhap News Agency · Sankei Shimbun

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] A Japanese media outlet has sparked controversy by publishing an article disparaging Korean media.

On the 16th, the Sankei Shimbun published a series of articles under the theme "Research on Korean Media Called 'Giregi' (a derogatory term for reporters)."

Sankei introduced the term 'Giregi' in Hangul, explaining that it is a mocking expression aimed at Korean media.

Criticizing the Korean newspaper industry, Sankei cited an incident where Kyunghyang Shinmun attempted to publish an article related to a specific company but deleted the article in exchange for a sponsorship promise from that company.

The outlet criticized the Korean media industry, stating, "A significant number of major Korean media outlets overlook such issues."

Furthermore, Sankei pointed out that newspapers host events such as the "Korea Representative Brand Awards," where the winners do not receive prize money but the newspaper receives a "prize fee" in exchange for publishing articles.

It added that there are cases where reporters responsible for covering local governments mediate similar contracts between newspapers and local governments.

Earlier, the media outlet ran a series of articles titled "The Agony of Korean Media" from late last year to early this year.

The Sankei Shimbun noted that most Koreans access news through portal sites and criticized that "the quality of articles delivered through portals is declining."

It continued, "Internet newspapers run by about two to three people have surged, with legally registered internet newspapers surpassing 1,000 in 2008 and expanding to 8,171 by 2018."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.