Kim Jin-ae: "Harsh Treatment in Reporting on Yoon Mi-hyang... Reject Premature Stigmatization"

"Yoon Mi-hyang Turned Direction to Avoid Front-Facing Photos"

Kim Jin-ae, Floor Leader of the Open Democratic Party, is giving a greeting at the "21st Science and Technology Lawmaker-Elect Invitation Meeting" held on the afternoon of the 26th of last month at the Korea Science and Technology Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] Amid controversy over allegations of accounting fraud involving Yoon Mee-hyang, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and the Justice and Memory Foundation (Jeonguiyeon), Kim Jin-ae, floor leader of the Open Democratic Party, said on the 8th, "We should calmly review the investigation results and then make a judgment."

In a post on her Facebook that day, Floor Leader Kim said, "Premature stigmatization is rejected. Excessive media coverage is an extremely harsh form of persecution."

She wrote, "Last Friday (the 5th), at the first plenary session of the National Assembly, cameras showered on Yoon and me during our conversation," adding, "I expected a flood of articles, and indeed, that happened."

She continued, "I slightly turned the direction so that Yoon would not be caught head-on," explaining, "It was my first meeting with Yoon, who came to greet me after I criticized the media's photo-taking circus on the first day of the National Assembly last Monday."

She said, "Of course, I held (Yoon’s) hand. It was to express gratitude to someone who has done what I could not," adding, "How could I not feel thankful to those who have worked for decades in civic groups, especially on the comfort women issue?"

Furthermore, Floor Leader Kim said, "We cannot help but feel deep respect and gratitude for Yoon’s devoted volunteer spirit to Jeongdaehyeop (Korean Council for the Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan) and Jeonguiyeon, and for Grandma Lee Yong-soo’s courage in raising her personal issue as our issue and a global issue."

Finally, Floor Leader Kim said, "Last night, news came of the death of the director of Jeonguiyeon’s Mapo shelter. It is heartbreaking," adding, "The media must come to its senses so as not to become a major factor in causing social death, and must not cause the pain of having decades of activism completely denied."

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