"Reminds Me of Media Outlets That Reported on Every Move of My Daughter"
[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Former Minister of Justice Cho Kuk voiced his opinion regarding the warning issued by police to reporters covering Kim Hye-kyung, spouse of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, for stalking behavior after receiving a complaint.
On the 16th, Cho posted on his Facebook, "I recall the media outlets that reported on every move of my daughter," and said, "I saw reports that five reporters from a certain media outlet followed the candidate Lee Jae-myung's wife to the hospital by car and received a 'stalking warning' from the police."
Cho also pointed out, "In the second half of 2019, whenever I went out, the media closely followed me by car," adding, "However, they do not even approach Kim Geon-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-youl, the People Power Party presidential candidate."
Earlier, the Bundang Police Station in Gyeonggi Province announced on the 16th that at around 4 p.m. on the 15th, they judged that five reporters from a certain media outlet might have violated the Stalking Punishment Act and issued a warning before sending them away. The reporters reportedly waited near the candidate’s residence and followed Kim by car when she moved to the hospital.
The police, who responded to the complaint from Kim’s side, explained that the reporters’ actions were difficult to consider as legitimate under the Stalking Punishment Act, thus they issued the warning.
A police official stated, "The warning was to prevent the same behavior from recurring on site, not to regard the reporters’ activities as criminal acts," and added, "The measure was taken because it was difficult to see the behavior as lawful under the relevant law."
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