Law Orders MBC to Submit Original Video of 'Subtitle Controversy'... "Seems to Have Gone Too Far"

The court ordered MBC to submit the original video footage regarding the subtitle controversy that arose during President Yoon Seok-yeol's visit to the United States.

President Yoon Suk-yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden. [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the legal community on the 7th, the 12th Civil Division of the Seoul Western District Court (Presiding Judge Seong Ji-ho) ordered the submission of the original recorded video during the second hearing of the correction claim lawsuit filed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs against MBC, stating, "No matter how many times I listened, I could not understand what was being said. It is clear that an ordinary person hearing it at a normal volume cannot distinguish what the content is."

In response to MBC's question, "Which part is false?" the court said, "It is clear that the word 'America' is not present, so it seems MBC went too far," and asked, "Does it sound like that in the broadcast? If MBC's representative listens, do they hear 'America' and everything else?" The court added, "Generally, it is not clear when heard. The report made it seem too definite," and said, "There should be a sense of responsibility for that."

The court also judged that the burden of proof to clarify whether the controversial statement was 'nallimyeon' or 'Biden' lies with MBC. The court stated, "The claim by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the responsibility to prove the true content of the statement lies with MBC seems persuasive," and added, "Since the report says it was not (Biden), MBC has the responsibility to prove that part."

The plaintiff side continued to argue, as in the previous hearing, that President Yoon's remarks were directed at the Korean National Assembly. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs argued, "What MBC confirmed is that their affiliated reporters listened several times at a slow speed, but it does not appear to have gone through an objective procedure."

On the other hand, MBC claimed that they judged the content of the statement based on the fact that Kim Sung-han, then Director of the National Security Office, and officials from the Presidential Office asked the press to refrain from reporting before the broadcast.

The court plans to hold the third hearing on September 1 and conclude the arguments.

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