MBC Raid Divides Ruling and Opposition Parties... 'Media Oppression' vs 'Leaks Are Illegal'

Kim Eui-gyeom "Is Han Dong-hoon the embodiment of revenge?"
Kim Yong-min "Various methods to seize media control"
Kim Ye-ryeong "Did the Democratic Party raise their voice over Channel A raid?"

The opposition parties are raising their voices, calling the police's search and seizure of an MBC reporter and MBC and the National Assembly over the personal information leak of Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon "media oppression." On the same day, President Yoon Seok-yeol's approval of the dismissal of Han Sang-hyuk, chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, is also seen as an extension of media oppression. In response, the ruling party countered, saying, "Information leaks are illegal."

Kim Eui-gyeom, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, said on the 31st on YTN's 'News King Park Ji-hoon' that "If it had been someone other than Minister Han, the crown prince of the Yoon Seok-yeol government, would this problem have occurred?" and evaluated, "Minister Han has risen as the 'embodiment of revenge' through this incident."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

He called Minister Han the 'embodiment of revenge' because of a past article by the reporter who was subjected to the search and seizure. Rep. Kim said, "If the media company and reporter accused of leaking (personal information) were not MBC, which is deeply disliked by this government, would this have happened?" He added, "In particular, the reporter named Im, who was subjected to the search and seizure, was the one who reported President Yoon Seok-yeol's so-called 'Biden dismissal' remarks, and before that, was sued for 30 million won in damages by then-prosecutor Han Dong-hoon over the 'prosecutor's alcohol entertainment incident.'"

He claims that Minister Han took revenge based on past articles by reporter Im. Rep. Kim said, "So, if it were not the noble Minister Han and the deeply disliked MBC reporter Im, would it be possible to conduct such a search and seizure, even entering the MBC Newsroom, over such a matter?"

Fellow party member Rep. Yoon Geon-young evaluated the dismissal of Chairman Han and the MBC search and seizure as "excessive" on KBS's 'Choi Kyung-young's Strong Current Affairs.' He said, "Chairman Han had two months left in his term. The procedure was also ignored," and added, "It is no different from the presidential office effectively pushing him out." When asked by the host whether the two incidents were intended as 'broadcasting control,' he said, "Of course. It is to make the upcoming general election and the four years of national administration easier," and added, "I think it is a self-inflicted wound."

Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min also said on SBS's 'Kim Tae-hyun's Political Show,' "The first thing a dictatorship-oriented regime or government does is to control the media and then restrict and ban freedom of assembly and protest," adding, "Yesterday, they also conducted a search and seizure at MBC. They are simultaneously carrying out various methods to control the media, and I see the dismissal of Chairman Han as the pinnacle of this."

On the other hand, the People Power Party clearly stated their position that "information leaks are illegal." Spokesperson Kim Ye-ryeong said in a statement the day before, "The search and seizure is a lawful procedure based on a warrant issued by the court regarding the suspicion of personal information leakage," and added, "The claim of 'infringement of press freedom' is an overly superficial approach considering the nature of the matter."

She continued, "In the past, when the Channel A media-prosecutor collusion suspicion was proven innocent, did the Democratic Party ever raise their voice even a little about the search and seizure of Channel A?" and added, "The public is angry at the Democratic Party's tiresome 'selective justice' and 'selective rule of law.'"

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