MBC Reporters Not Prosecuted After Three Years Over "Biden-Nallimyeon" Defamation Allegations

Police Decide Not to Refer MBC Reporters Over "Biden-Nallimyeon" Subtitle Controversy
Insufficient Evidence Found in Defamation Case

MBC reporters who had been accused of defamation for their coverage of the so-called "Biden-Nallimyeon" subtitle controversy during former President Yoon Suk-yeol's visit to the United States in September 2022 have not been referred for prosecution.

The Cyber Investigation Unit of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency decided on August 18 not to refer a total of 12 individuals, including 10 MBC staff members who had been accused of defamation under the Information and Communications Network Act, and Park Honggeun, then floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, citing insufficient evidence.

This decision comes nearly three years after the so-called "Biden-Nallimyeon" controversy arose.

Previously, MBC reported a video showing former President Yoon Suk-yeol speaking to his aides as he left the 7th Replenishment Conference of the Global Fund hosted by then U.S. President Joe Biden in New York on September 22, 2022. The broadcast included subtitles stating, "If these XX in (the U.S.) Congress do not approve it, what will Biden do if he is embarrassed?"

At that time, the Presidential Office explained that Yoon had said "Nallimyeon," not "Biden," and that he was referring to the Korean National Assembly, not the U.S. Congress.

In response, Lee Jongbae, a Seoul city council member from the People Power Party, along with conservative organizations such as the Liberty Korea Defense Corps and the People's Livelihood Countermeasures Committee, filed complaints against the MBC reporters and then-chairman.