Lee Dong-kwan "NewsTapa Interview Quotation Reporting, Deviation from the True Role of the Press"

Lee Dong-kwan, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, criticized the partial broadcast of Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management's 'Daejang-dong interview,' by some broadcasters at the time as a "deviation from the true nature of the press."

Lee Dong-kwan, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission Photo by Yonhap News

On the afternoon of the 6th, after attending the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee, the chairman told reporters in response to questions about the 'Newstapa false interview suspicion' that the partial broadcast of the interview by some broadcasters was a "bigger problem."

The interview was conducted and reported by Shin Hak-rim, a former Newstapa senior researcher and former chairman of the Media Union, with Kim just before the last presidential election. In the interview, Kim claimed that Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, had covered up the investigation of Jo Woo-hyung, who was suspected as a broker in the illegal loan case of Busan Savings Bank when Yoon worked as the head of the Central Investigation Division 2 of the Supreme Prosecutors' Office.

Chairman Lee targeted MBC, one of the broadcasters that cited the interview, saying, "It was revealed that MBC ignored and reported despite the fact that Jo Mo, known as the person who gave the 'coffee testimony' cited by Kim in the Newstapa interview as the basis for the cover-up suspicion, denied the statement was true."

Regarding the People Power Party's suspicion of the Democratic Party and its leader Lee Jae-myung as the 'behind-the-scenes' of the interview, he said, "As someone who managed public relations for the 2007 presidential campaign, based on that experience, I cannot help but suspect that an 'invisible hand' was at work."

He added, "Currently, complaints about the broadcast citing the interview are under urgent review by the Korea Communications Standards Commission," and said, "The KCSC can impose strict sanctions." He also added, "Ultimately, the Korea Communications Commission has a procedure to notify the relevant broadcaster of the disciplinary action."

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