Why Cheong Declared a Strong Response to COVID-19 'Fake News'

Cheongwadae Refutes Controversies Regarding Kim Jeong-suk Lady Point by Point... "Malicious Fake News Exploiting Media Trust"

[Asia Economy Reporter Ryu Jeong-min] “I believe recent fake news has crossed the line.” Deputy Spokesperson Yoon Jae-kwan conveyed the Blue House’s stance on the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in this way. He explained, “The Blue House also views this very regretfully and is closely monitoring the serious situation.”

A notable point in Deputy Spokesperson Yoon’s remarks is the use of expressions such as “clear fake news” and “malicious fake news.” Considering that a Blue House official was mentioned by name, these are strong terms. In particular, Spokesperson Yoon refuted point by point the content spreading mainly on some YouTube channels and SNS related to First Lady Kim Jung-sook.

Deputy Spokesperson Yoon said, “The clear fake news that claims CEO of Geo Young and First Lady Kim Jung-sook are alumni was spread mainly on SNS,” and explained, “First Lady Kim Jung-sook graduated from Sookmyung Girls’ High School, and the CEO of Geo Young graduated from Sookmyung Women’s University.” This is fake news combining the word ‘Sookmyung.’

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Deputy Spokesperson Yoon emphasized, “It was also reported that the CEO of a certain home shopping company is connected to the camp and that the CEO of that home shopping company and the CEO of Geo Young are married, but that is also not true,” adding, “All of these are clear fake news. The CEO of Geo Young and First Lady Kim Jung-sook do not even know each other.”

Regarding this, CBS Radio’s ‘Kim Hyun-jung’s News Show’ released an interview with Cho Sun-hye, CEO of Geo Young, on the 10th. CEO Cho explained, “They say my husband is the president of some public home shopping, but I don’t even know who that is. They lowered my age by 10 years and linked me to Representative Sohn Hye-won, whom I have never met. There is not a single truth in this.”

The reason the Blue House declared a strong response is also related to the fact that content related to First Lady Kim Jung-sook is spreading as if it were true. Deputy Spokesperson Yoon emphasized, “There was a rumor online that the mask First Lady Kim Jung-sook wore during her recent market visit was made in Japan, but that is also clear fake news.”

Even if the parties involved claim the rumors are groundless, it is not easy to control fake news spreading through YouTube and other platforms. The Blue House takes fake news about COVID-19 seriously because it is spreading disguised as news reports.

On the 6th, citizens are purchasing masks at a pharmacy near Jongno 5-ga, Seoul. From this day forward, a duplicate purchase verification system has been established at pharmacies nationwide, requiring presentation of an ID to buy masks. The purchase limit per person has been reduced from 5 masks to 2 masks per person. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Deputy Spokesperson Yoon criticized, “There was a rumor that ‘This is an urgent breaking news and the president issued an emergency administrative order to take measures related to ethnic Koreans from China,’ which circulated with the Yonhap News logo and was spread as if reported by Yonhap News,” calling it “a very serious problem and a very malicious fake news exploiting media trust.”

The Blue House’s assessment is that the spread of fake news negatively affects the resolution of the situation while the nation is concentrating its capabilities on responding to COVID-19. Especially with the 21st general election scheduled for April 15 approaching, there is a possibility that fake news will continue to spread for political purposes.

However, whether the Blue House’s legal response will actually take place remains to be seen. If the Blue House leads a strong response, it could ignite another controversy such as infringement on freedom of expression. This is also why fake news is not easily eradicated.

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