Lee Jae-myung "Regret over 'Pet Dog' Expression Misunderstood as Criticism of Entire Media"

"Criticism of Pet Dog Behavior by Some Media"
Call for Media Self-Reflection... "Hope It Becomes an Opportunity for Introspection"

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, expressed regret over some media outlets portraying his description of the press as 'pets' as a criticism of the entire media rather than just a part of it.

Lee Jae-myung, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, is speaking at the Supreme Council meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th. Photo by Hyunmin Kim kimhyun81@

On the 18th, Lee said on his Facebook, "My remarks made a few days ago when appearing in court were aimed at pointing out the behavior of certain media outlets that act like actual pets or guard dogs," adding, "The conduct of some legal reporters who parroting only the claims of political prosecutors without asking for counterarguments and thereby aiding in case fabrication and distortion has long been criticized."

He further emphasized, "The prosecution's claim of remittances for North Korea visits is copied, while the secret report from the National Intelligence Service stating remittances for stock manipulation is ignored, which cannot be considered fair and objective reporting," and asked, "Can it be said that this is not the behavior of a lap dog or a guard dog serving power?"

However, Lee acknowledged, "I understand well that the majority of journalists strive to seek truth and justice as watchdogs," and said, "If I failed to clearly express that the issue lies with some media due to time constraints and caused misunderstanding as a criticism of the entire media, it is my shortcoming and I regret it." He added, "It is also very unfortunate that criticism of some media's pet-like behavior is distorted into an unfounded and unfair criticism of the entire media," warning, "If that is the case, any reflection or self-purification will be difficult."

Lee called for self-reflection within the media industry. He stated, "I hope this will be an opportunity to reflect together on why public trust in the media is declining," and pledged, "The Democratic Party and I will do our best to guarantee freedom of the press so that the media, as the fourth branch following the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, can properly serve as a watchdog for the people."

On the 14th, regarding allegations of Ssangbangwool Group's involvement in remittances to North Korea, Lee claimed, "(The media) are not reporting the truth but are eagerly distorting and fabricating information received like pets of the prosecution." The Korea Journalists Association, the National Union of Mediaworkers, and the Broadcast Journalists Association demanded an apology from Lee the day before through a statement, saying, "Apologize for the excessive remarks against journalists."

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