[Summary] "Media Murder... Stop the Death Ritual" Kim Eo-jun and Yoon Mi-hyang, Ruling Party Criticize the Press in Unison

"Harassed by Reporters and Prosecutors" Yoon Mi-hyang Expresses Frustration with Media and Prosecution over Shelter Director's Death

Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Broadcaster Kim Eo-jun criticized the death of A (60), the director of the comfort women victims' shelter (Mapo Shelter), on the 8th as a "reporting murder." He claimed that A, who was tormented by excessive media coverage competing to report on the donation scandal of the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeondae), ultimately had no choice but to take her own life. This is pointed out as a de facto social murder.

On that day, Kim said on his radio show, "When articles that have not been sufficiently verified come out, and in the process, the target is driven to one side, it becomes a situation that can be called reporting murder."

He also referred to the coverage of Rep. Yoon Mee-hyang of the Democratic Party and Jeonguiyeondae, saying, "If all the media simultaneously bombards one person or one organization like this for nearly a month, it is similar to issuing a social death sentence," adding, "The targeted person develops stress-related illnesses, and quite a few people end up passing away."

He further criticized some articles raising suspicions about Rep. Yoon and Jeonguiyeondae as "articles that have not been properly verified," and insisted, "A 'punitive damages system' against the media must be introduced."

Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is leaving her office at the National Assembly Members' Office Building on the morning of the 8th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, ruling party figures including Rep. Yoon Mee-hyang also raised concerns about the media coverage of Jeonguiyeondae on the same day.

Nam In-soon, a Supreme Council member of the Democratic Party, said at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the morning of the 8th, "I pray for the repose of the late director of the Japanese military comfort women survivors' shelter," adding, "The sudden search and seizure by the prosecution and the excessive and indiscriminate competition among the media caused the deceased's anxiety and pain, which are beyond imagination."

Kim Jin-ae, floor leader of the Open Democratic Party, wrote on Facebook that day, "Suspicions such as accounting fraud involving Rep. Yoon and Jeonguiyeondae should be calmly investigated and judged accordingly," and criticized, "Hasn't the media become a major factor in creating social death? They need to come to their senses."

Kim also said, "At the National Assembly plenary session, cameras were flashing during my meeting with Rep. Yoon Mee-hyang," and added, "I even slightly turned her direction so that she wouldn't be caught head-on."

Woo Hee-jong, former co-representative of the Together Citizens' Party, shared Jeonguiyeondae's obituary statement and pointed out, "The modern-day witch hunt is ongoing."

Choi Bae-geun, a professor at Konkuk University and former co-representative of the Together Citizens' Party, wrote on Facebook, "The political prosecution and media have become murder weapons," and asked, "How many lives must be taken before it stops?" He continued, "We all must unite to stop the 'death ritual' carried out by the 'forces of darkness' on this land."

Yoon Mi-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, is welcoming officials at 'Our House of Peace' in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 7th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

A, the director of Jeonguiyeondae's Mapo Shelter, was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, at around 10:35 p.m. on the 6th.

Rep. Yoon posted a 'memorial speech' on her Facebook on the 7th, saying, "Every time reporters rang the doorbell of the shelter, every time the prosecution raided the shelter and conducted a search, making her feel like a criminal though she was not, and every time the phone rang incessantly to harass her, how hard must it have been for her to endure all that alone?"

Along with this, Rep. Yoon strongly criticized the media and prosecution. In a post on her Facebook in the afternoon, she pointed out, "Reporters set up cameras outside the gate and broadcast live as if the shelter was a den of criminals, and the prosecution raided the shelter and conducted a search."

Rep. Yoon said, "Every day, the pressure, the feeling of guilt though she was not a criminal, and the incessant ringing of the phone harassed her. How hard must it have been for her to endure all that alone?" She pointed out that the media influenced her death.

She added, "I endured thinking that I had no place to retreat or sidestep, so I had to move forward, but I was so focused on my own soul drying up that I failed to notice the director's soul drying up," and said, "I was wrestling with my soul being destroyed and failed to look after the director's soul."

However, the Seoul Western District Prosecutors' Office, which is investigating the Jeonguiyeondae scandal, stated, "There is no record of investigating the deceased, nor have we requested her to appear for investigation."

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