Yoon "MBC Attempts to Create Malicious Shamanism Frame Without Objective Evidence"
On the afternoon of the 16th, the MBC program "Straight," which covers the '7-hour phone call' content of Kim Geon-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, is being broadcast on the electronic billboard at the MBC building in Sangam-dong, Seoul. 2022.1.16 [Image source=Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] As MBC continued to report on the recorded phone conversations of Kim Gun-hee, spouse of Yoon Seok-yeol, the People Power Party's presidential candidate, the party's election campaign headquarters stated on the 23rd, "They are trying to continuously create a malicious shamanism frame without objective evidence," and expressed "regret over the tyranny."
MBC reported parts of the transcript of a 7-hour phone call between Mr. Lee, affiliated with 'Seoul Voice,' and Ms. Kim, following last week's report. This was broadcast through 'News Desk,' not the current affairs program 'Straight,' for which the People Power Party had filed an injunction.
According to the report, a man named Hwang, who grabbed Ms. Kim's nape when she entered an office avoiding broadcast cameras in the past, was said to be the son of Hwang, a construction business owner in Gangwon Province known to candidate Yoon, and was hired as Ms. Kim's personal secretary. The connection between them was a fortune teller. It was also reported that Ms. Kim asked Mr. Lee to take and send her facial photos, after which he provided physiognomy and palm reading interpretations, saying things like "I do not perform gut rituals or fortune-telling, but I am well aware of that side's news." MBC raised suspicions related to shamanism, citing that Ms. Kim wrote a doctoral dissertation on subjects such as fate and physiognomy and that shamans were involved in the campaign headquarters.
The People Power Party's campaign headquarters rebutted the report on the same day, stating it was "not only illegal but also significantly lacking in fairness." The campaign's public relations team told reporters, "MBC News Desk's report was based on false facts and aired 'private conversations' that MBC itself promised not to broadcast during the injunction hearing process, as noted in the injunction ruling, without providing a substantial right of reply." They added, "While airing long segments defaming the People Power Party's presidential candidate, they did not report on the abusive language files of Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party's presidential candidate, and his spouse, which were released several days ago."
They also clarified that some of the broadcast content was not factual. The public relations team explained, "As stated multiple times, Mr. Hwang is not Ms. Kim's personal secretary," and "Ms. Kim's dissertation is a study on creating digital 'avatars' by selecting users' facial features and linking them with existing fortune-telling content to secure marketability, not research on fate or physiognomy."
They expressed "strong regret" over MBC violating its promise to the court during the injunction process not to broadcast private content, thereby undermining legally prescribed procedures. They further stated, "They are creating a malicious frame with the intent to influence the election," and demanded, "We request a statement regarding the fact that the abusive language files of candidate Lee Jae-myung and Kim Hye-kyung, newly released on the 20th, have still not been reported." They added that if no action is taken regarding the 'biased reporting,' they will initiate necessary measures as a political party.
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