Ruling Democratic Party lawmakers protest against their counterparts of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party (LKP) at the National Assembly on March 12, 2019, over LKP floor leader Na Kyung-won’s speech, in which she called President Moon Jae-in a senior spokesman for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Mar. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — An association of foreign news media reporters based in Seoul has expressed “grave concern” after the ruling Democratic Party criticized a Bloomberg News reporter over a story portraying President Moon Jae-in as “top spokesman” of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The article, published in September last year, drew fresh attention last week after Rep. Na Kyung-won, floor leader of the main opposition Liberty Korea Party, cited it in her National Assembly speech blasting Moon’s policy on Pyongyang.
The ruling Democratic Party issued a statement berating Na, but it also criticized the Bloomberg reporter by name, accusing her of writing a treacherous story, as a South Korean citizen, that insulted the head of state.
The Seoul Foreign Correspondents’ Club issued a statement expressing “grave concern over the ruling Democratic party’s statement singling out a Bloomberg reporter,” saying it “resulted in serious threats to her personal safety.”
“It is disturbing for any politician to accuse any journalist of treason — a criminal offence — for reporting on matters of public interest or voicing an opinion. This is a form of censorship and journalistically chilling,” the statement said.
“Questions or complaints regarding an article should be raised with the publication in question rather than personally and publicly targeting a reporter,” it said.
Founded in 1956, the club as about 500 journalists from 100 news outlets as members.
(Yonhap)
