[Summary] MBC, Controversy Over 'Park Won-soon Victim Complainant' Exam Question…Victim Says "Truly Cruel"

MBC's New Reporter Entrance Exam Includes 'Park Won-soon Victim' Terminology Issue
Victim's Lawyer "Very Regrettable and Saddening"
Journalism Exam Prep Community "MBC Must Publicly Apologize" Outrage
MBC Union "Management Must Take Appropriate Responsibility"

Exterior view of the MBC building located in Sangam-dong, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Yeon-ju] MBC has sparked controversy over 'secondary victimization' by including a question in its entrance exam for new reporters asking how to refer to the victim who accused the late former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon of sexual harassment. The victim expressed her feelings, saying, "It is truly cruel."

Kim Jae-ryeon, the victim's lawyer, appeared on KBS Radio's 'Kim Kyung-rae's Strongest Current Affairs' on the 14th and conveyed the victim's response to the controversy, saying, "It is very regrettable."

Lawyer Kim criticized, "Sexual violence victims become like fish laid out on a cutting board to prove their suffering," and added, "Even though those who were called 'victim claimants' officially apologized and the terminology was clarified, the media has reignited the debate."

The term 'victim claimant' was used in political and media circles after the death of former Mayor Park. At the time, Lee Hae-chan, then leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, did not define the person who raised the sexual harassment allegations against Park as a victim but referred to her as a 'woman claiming victimhood,' hence the term 'victim claimant.'

Lawyer Kim pointed out, "1,800 applicants were put in a situation where they had to decide what to call a living victim laid out on a cutting board within a limited time," and criticized, "Using the term 'victim claimant,' which does not exist anywhere else, and posing such a question with intent as a debate topic is very regrettable and unfortunate."

According to online communities and social networking services (SNS) of media exam candidates on the 13th, the essay question in the MBC reporter entrance exam held that day was: "Should the person who raised the sexual harassment issue against former Seoul Mayor Park be called a victim or a victim claimant? (If there is a third term, you may present it with logical grounds.)"

At a press conference on the "Power Sexual Harassment Case by the Mayor of Seoul" held on July 13 in the Korean Women's Hotline Education Center in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul, Kim Jae-ryeon, the lead attorney of On-Sesang Law Firm, revealed an invitation message to a secret chat room, claiming it was sent by Mayor Park Won-soon to the accuser.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

In response, media exam preparation communities expressed reactions such as, "The reporter exam essay question is too much," "Isn't MBC ashamed?" "Apologize publicly," "The question itself is secondary victimization," "They deserve criticism," and "It will go down in history as the worst essay question in broadcasting media."

In particular, one media exam candidate said, "It is shocking and terrifying that 400 adults debated in detail whether I am a 'victim' or a 'victim claimant' without the person involved knowing anything," and added, "It would feel uncomfortable and bad just knowing that two or three people around me talked about me behind my back."

As the controversy intensified, the MBC labor union issued a statement on the 14th, pointing out the distorted gender awareness among MBC members and urging the truth of the controversy to be revealed and responsibility to be taken.

The union demanded, "We ask President Park Sung-je to disclose who and for what purpose this question was created," and criticized, "Based on MBC's reporting behavior so far, there are serious concerns about what kind of people they intend to select."

They added, "This essay question controversy may be an expression of some MBC members' distorted gender awareness, which calls for vigilance," and urged, "President Park Sung-je and the current management should reveal the truth of the incident and take appropriate responsibility. Gender sensitivity means viewing and understanding sexual crime cases from the victim's perspective. We hope this incident will be judged accordingly."

Meanwhile, an MBC official explained to a media outlet, "This is already a publicized issue," and said, "We were curious about how applicants define and describe their stance on this, and we wanted to ask how much they usually consider their language use."

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