Sales Up? Cabbage Up? ... Presidential Office "Strict Response to JTBC for Distorting Yoon's Remarks"

Notice in the Name of the Spokesperson's Office

The Presidential Office announced on the 29th that it will take a "strict response" regarding JTBC’s incorrect subtitles in a recent video posted on its YouTube channel, which introduced President Yoon Seok-yeol’s remarks during a visit to a traditional market.

In a statement issued by the spokesperson’s office that evening, the Presidential Office explained the circumstances surrounding the controversy over JTBC’s subtitles of President Yoon’s remarks during his visit to Uijeongbu Jeil Market in Uijeongbu City, Gyeonggi Province, on the 25th.

President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Uijeongbu Jeil Market in Uijeongbu-si, Gyeonggi-do on the 25th and met with merchants. [Photo by the Office of the President] [Image source=Yonhap News]

According to the Presidential Office, JTBC posted a video on its YouTube channel with subtitles that misrepresented President Yoon’s statement when he said the government would "work hard to increase sales a lot" as "I will put a lot of effort into raising cabbage prices." Just before this part, a subtitle saying "also keeping an eye on cabbage prices" was inserted during a visit to a vegetable store.

The Presidential Office pointed out, "Such incorrect subtitle insertion greatly distorted the facts," and added, "JTBC did not request fact-checking from the Presidential Office during this process."

The Presidential Office claimed, "Subsequently, politicians such as former Democratic Party senior deputy spokesperson Ha Heon-gi and Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Yong-min cited the video to criticize the president, and fake news that 'the president said he would raise prices' spread widely and was reproduced through online communities."

In response, the Presidential Office requested JTBC on the 28th to acknowledge the subtitle error and issue a correction. JTBC admitted the mistake by the person in charge that evening and apologized to viewers and related parties.

The Presidential Office stated, "We ask reporters to always verify whether the president actually made the remarks when reporting on his statements," and added, "The Presidential Office plans to respond strictly to any distortion of the president’s remarks going forward." It also said, "We will cooperate as much as possible with fact-checking requests."

A Presidential Office official also told reporters that day regarding the possibility of legal action on the matter, "There seem to be various aspects to review," and added, "Some parts appear to have crossed the line. I think responding appropriately to those parts is also a way to prevent the same mistakes."

The People Power Party has also announced plans to "file a complaint against the video production team for defamation due to the spread of false information" regarding this case.