Yoon's Statements Broadcast 10 Times
Allegations of Orders to Delete Subtitles Criticizing Martial Law Politicians
Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is responding to urgent issue questions at the plenary meeting of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the morning of the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News
Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yoo In-chon has announced an audit in relation to suspicions of KTV (Korea TV, the national broadcaster) deleting subtitles and endorsing martial law.
On the 20th, during an emergency inquiry at the National Assembly’s Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, when Lee Ki-heon, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, requested an audit of KTV, Minister Yoo responded, "Yes." KTV is a broadcaster owned by the Korea Policy Broadcasting Corporation under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, which holds audit authority. On the same day, Representative Lee revealed audio evidence, stating, "KTV executives instructed the deletion of broadcast subtitles covering politicians’ remarks such as 'martial law is illegal' and 'unconstitutional' following President Yoon Seok-yeol’s preference for martial law."
According to Representative Lee and others, on the 3rd at 11 p.m., while reporting a special bulletin on martial law, KTV instructed the staff responsible for subtitles at the bottom of the screen?who were covering politicians’ criticisms of martial law and parliamentary movements?to delete those subtitles. However, when the staff member refused, it is alleged that a broadcasting official notified him of dismissal the following day, on the 4th. The subtitles ordered to be deleted included phrases such as 'Lee Jae-myung: "Unconstitutional martial law declaration... Citizens, please come to the National Assembly"' and 'Han Dong-hoon: "Martial law declaration loses effect... Military and police authority enforcement is illegal."'
During the three-hour special broadcast on martial law, KTV reportedly did not cover scenes related to the National Assembly, such as martial law troops entering the Assembly or the resolution to lift martial law, instead repeatedly airing President Yoon’s statements ten times. Regarding this, KTV President Lee Eun-woo said, "KTV is a broadcaster representing the executive branch," and "(those subtitles) do not align at all with the tone of government policy broadcasting." Concerning the dismissal allegations of the news subtitle staff, he explained, "There is a regular reorganization in January next year, and they were told to resubmit their resumes."
Yoo In-chon, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is taking the oath as a witness before answering urgent questions at the full meeting of the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee on the morning of the 20th. Photo by Yonhap News
On the same day, Minister Yoo reiterated his stance that "martial law was wrong" in response to lawmakers’ questions about its legality. Regarding his statement titled 'A Message to the People' released on the 10th as a government spokesperson, he said, "It was only intended to appeal for national stability, nothing more or less," and apologized, saying, "If it was perceived as endorsing martial law, I apologize." However, when asked whether President Yoon’s declaration of martial law constitutes rebellion, he avoided answering, stating, "As a Cabinet member, it is not my place to judge."
Meanwhile, on the 18th, the film industry solidarity group 'Film Industry Crisis Overcome Film Artists’ Coalition' issued a statement opposing Minister Yoo’s appointment of executives to affiliated institutions. The coalition expressed concern, stating that Minister Yoo "was a key figure in the cultural blacklist incident during the Lee Myung-bak administration and officially released a public appeal supporting Yoon Seok-yeol’s position," and that "he is attempting to appoint executives to cultural and artistic public institutions under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, such as the Korean Film Council and the Korean Film Archive, which were mobilized as tools for the regime’s illegal blacklist enforcement."
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