Hong Hye-gul: "I Never Said Korean COVID-19 Test Kits Were Faulty... Just Asked to Verify the Facts"

Hong Hye-gul, medical specialist reporter. Photo by Facebook capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Shinwon Yoon] Dr. Hong Hye-gul, a medical doctor and broadcaster who is the head of the medical channel 'Biondwi,' expressed feeling "unfairly treated" after controversy arose over his statement citing the U.S. Congress that domestic COVID-19 diagnostic kits might not meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards.

On the 15th, Hong stated on his Facebook, "I posted about a U.S. congressional hearing claiming that our country's COVID-19 diagnostic method was judged as 'not adequate' by the U.S. FDA, and now I am being criticized as a 'fake news producer.' I have never said our kits are faulty," clarifying his position.

He continued, "I judged that the comment by a U.S. Republican congressman, who is also a physician, should not be ignored by the media. From start to finish, I emphasized that this shocking statement was broadcast live worldwide and that its authenticity must be verified. There have already been ongoing concerns about false negatives (cases where the test result is negative despite actual infection)," he explained.

He added, "Some people say I could not distinguish between serological tests and molecular tests, which is absurd. Would I be a medical reporter if I couldn’t tell the difference? Among the two videos in question, one contains the 'not adequate' statement, and the other features the Republican congressman mentioning serological tests, which may have led people to mistakenly think the congressman was ignorant and asked irrelevant questions about serological tests."

He further stated, "The important point is that the 'not adequate' video refers to molecular tests, not serological tests. To ensure I was not biased, I consulted other experts who shared my view that it is strange for the FDA to declare serological tests as inadequate. Serological tests have never been subject to approval in Korea or the U.S., past or present. Importers likely did not attempt to get FDA approval for such tests," he added.

"The facts need to be verified," he said. "My intention was to suggest verifying the comment since it was made, but some absurdly accuse me, saying 'Are you saying our kits are faulty? Why criticize the hardworking government?'" he emphasized.

Finally, he pointed out, "Fake news is not created only by journalists. Readers can also distort pure intentions and witch-hunt journalists they dislike," he noted.