Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MBC Correction Report Adjustment Fails Over President Yoon's Profanity Controversy

Unification Media Arbitration Committee Decides No Settlement Possible... Lawsuit May Be Filed
Ministry of Foreign Affairs: "Negative Impact Due to Inaccurate Reporting"
MBC: "Not False Reporting, Correction Difficult"

On the afternoon of the 10th, ahead of President Yoon Suk-yeol's departure for his Southeast Asia tour, press organizations including the Korea Association of Journalists, the National Union of Media Workers, and the Broadcast Journalists Association held an emergency press conference in front of the Presidential Office in Yongsan-gu, Seoul regarding the Presidential Office's refusal to allow MBC reporters to board the presidential aircraft.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Hee-jun] The Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a request for a correction report with the Korea Press Arbitration Commission (KPAC) against MBC, which reported on the controversy over the use of vulgar language during President Yoon Seok-yeol's attendance at the United Nations General Assembly. However, the two sides failed to reach an agreement, and the mediation was unsuccessful.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the 11th, Minister Park Jin applied for mediation with KPAC on the 31st of last month, requesting a correction report regarding the relevant coverage. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and MBC each explained their positions at KPAC on the day before the mediation date, but no agreement was reached, and KPAC decided that the mediation was unsuccessful.

If mediation fails, the KPAC mediation process ends, and the applicant, in this case the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, may separately file a lawsuit in court.

On the same day, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official told reporters that the reason for requesting the correction report was, "Due to MBC's inaccurate reporting, negative public opinion has spread among allied countries about South Korea, and public trust in our diplomacy has been shaken, causing negative effects. It is necessary to correct the related facts and restore the trust of allied countries and the public in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs."

Earlier, a key official from the Presidential Office stated regarding the decision to deny MBC reporters boarding the presidential aircraft, "MBC was the first to present as a fait accompli subtitles of voices that even experts found difficult to verify," and said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had requested mediation with KPAC.

In response, MBC emphasized, "Since it is not considered false reporting, a correction report is difficult," and added, "The Presidential Office's rebuttal was sufficiently conveyed through follow-up reports."

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Minister Park Jin was qualified as the applicant for the correction report in accordance with Article 14, Paragraph 3 of the Act on Press Arbitration and Damage Relief. According to this provision, the head of a state or local government, institution, or organization may request a correction report on behalf of the institution or organization regarding its duties.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "As the ministry overseeing all matters related to the Korea-US alliance and Korea-US relations, which are the core pillars of our diplomacy, we can be considered the biggest victim of such MBC reporting."