Controversy Over Baek Seon-yeop Remarks, Roh Young-hee Steps Down from YTN Radio Broadcast

On the afternoon of the 14th, citizens are paying their respects at the memorial altar for the late General Baek Seon-yeop set up at Gwanghwamun Square in Jongno-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Yonhap News

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[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Lim Ju-hyung] Recently, lawyer No Young-hee, who sparked controversy by stating that the late General Baek Seon-yeop "should not be buried in Daejeon National Cemetery," officially apologized on her radio show. However, the backlash did not subside, with posts demanding her resignation still appearing on viewer boards, and ultimately, No decided to step down from the program she was hosting.

On the 15th, No Young-hee posted on her Facebook, "Starting today, I will quit 'Departure New Morning,'" adding, "There are various reasons including the law firm's server being down, employees unable to work, and attacks on the broadcasting station... I think there will be an opportunity to discuss this later."

Earlier that morning, on YTN Radio's current affairs program 'No Young-hee's Departure New Morning,' she also said, "I apologize for the remarks I made on Monday on a certain broadcast regarding General Baek Seon-yeop's burial."

She continued, "I corrected it during the broadcast and posted twice on my personal social network service (SNS), but due to the situation displayed on screen and mixed remarks during the live broadcast, my unintended incorrect statements were reported."

Previously, on the 13th, No appeared as a panelist on MBN's 'News Wide.' On that day, she caused controversy by saying about the government's decision to bury General Baek in the National Daejeon Cemetery, "I don't understand. Just because (General Baek) was recognized for winning by shooting at our people, North Koreans, during the Korean War, he should not be buried in the National Cemetery."

On the 15th, posts urging lawyer Noh Young-hee to step down from her radio program have been appearing on the listener board of YTN Radio. / Photo by Internet Board Capture

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She added, "Didn't he himself admit, 'I can't help being criticized. I pointed a gun at my compatriots'?" and said, "I think pro-Japanese collaborators are worse. I believe he should not be buried in Daejeon National Cemetery either."

When the host asked, "Are you unwilling to revise the part where you said it was the Korean War where he shot at our people?" No replied, "Wasn't the Korean War a fight against North Korea?" and said, "I don't really know how to put it."

However, she added, "To clarify in case of misunderstandings, my argument is that no matter how much merit one has in war, past pro-Japanese acts should not be glorified or everything should not be overlooked because of that."

After the broadcast aired, some netizens strongly criticized No's remarks. As the controversy grew, No explained on her Facebook that afternoon, "I think I unintentionally made misleading remarks during the live broadcast."

However, as of 1 p.m. on the 15th, nearly 400 posts demanding No's resignation from the broadcast were posted on the YTN listener board and other internet communities, showing that some netizens' backlash continued.

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