U.S. State Department ‘censors Yoon Seok-yeol’s media threats’ NYT ‘accelerates polarization and division’
The U.S. State Department's report on human rights in Korea described it as 'the government of Yoon Seok-yeol and public figures harassing and threatening and censoring the private sector and the media', and the New York Times, which reported this, said that the Seok-Yeol Yoon regime 'applied the criminal law for defamation based on the public interest standard, indiscriminately searched and seized journalists and sentenced to up to 7 years in prison.' It was reported that 'accelerated division in a polarized system' was reported as 'punishment for 20 years'.
Regarding the change in Yoon Seok-yeol's regime, the New York Times said, “In Korea, a conviction for defamation can result in a fine or up to seven years in prison, depending on whether it was based on ‘public interest’ rather than the truth of the statement.” The President's Office stated that legal action must be taken to prevent false information from spreading and being accepted as fact. But the government's definition of fake news has raised questions about how to draw the line between disinformation and freedom of the press,” he said on the 10th.
NYT said, “The (Korean) Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a lawsuit after MBC refused to withdraw its hot mic report,” and “After President Yoon took office, the police investigated corruption involving President Yoon, his wife, his mother-in-law (incarcerated on forgery charges), and the Attorney General. The offices and homes of reporters and producers of the YouTube channel 'The Investigation' who reported the allegations were searched and seized several times. And last September, prosecutors searched and seized the offices of cable channel JTBC, which reported the same allegations against former President Yoon as Newstapa. “Authorities searched the homes or offices of four other journalists who reported similar claims before the election,” the report said.
Regarding the annual human rights report on Korea released by the U.S. State Department in March, the NYT said, "The government and public figures use defamation and slander, which broadly define and criminalize defamation, to limit public debate and suppress expression in the private sector and the media. “They harassed, threatened, or censored me,” he said.
NYT said, “Reporters from other media outlets were also targeted and had their cell phones and files confiscated to collect evidence of defamation crimes,” and “The authorities have rarely taken such measures since Korea became democratized in the 1990s, but President Yoon Seok-yeol took office. “The situation changed,” he said.
Regarding the Yoon Seok-yeol regime, the article titled <President's War on 'Fake News' Sounds Alarm in Korea> says, “He calls fake news an enemy that threatens democracy. It was reported under the subtitle, “Criticism of President Yoon Seok-yeol says he is silencing journalists in the name of fighting false information.”
The first part of the article began with ‘Journalist sentenced to death for treason.’ To quote it verbatim, it is as follows:
<President Yoon Seok-yeol's allies are attacking what they see as an existential threat to South Korea, and they are sparing few words.
President Yoon's party leader argued that the death penalty should be imposed for 'treason' cases.
The Ministry of Culture vowed to root out “organized and dirty” plots to undermine democracy in the country.
The defendant in this case is not a foreign spy, but a Korean media company that published articles criticizing President Yoon and his government.
Mr. Trump, a former prosecutor, is cracking down on what he calls disinformation through lawsuits, state regulators and criminal investigations, an effort primarily aimed at media outlets.
Regarding the reason for President Yoon's regime change, NYT said, "After the Korean broadcaster MBC released a hot microphone video depicting President Biden and members of the U.S. Congress in profanity last year, President Yoon Seok-yeol took an even more hostile attitude," and "Two months later, When President Yoon was on an overseas trip, MBC reporters were banned from boarding the presidential plane. He said the group's "fake news" reporting was a "malicious" attempt to sow a rift in the alliance with Washington. He also stopped taking questions in the morning.”
In response to Yoon Seok-yeol's regime's 'fake news' attack, the NYT "stood by its decision to report the contents of the audio file and accused the president of trying to silence media outlets that rejected his line," adding, "President Yoon's Attorney General It called for accountability and a thorough investigation, and the Korea Communications Standards Commission, which typically blocks websites featuring gambling, pornography or North Korean propaganda, said the new chairman, appointed by President Yoon, called for a 'clear and present danger'. “We announced that we will block all online media to eliminate ‘fake news.’”
NYT said, “President Yoon told his staff last September, ‘If we do not stop the spread of fake news, it will threaten liberal democracy and the market economy built on it.’” “President Yoon, a former prosecutor, is responsible for litigation, regulatory agencies, and crime.” Through investigations, he is cracking down on what he calls disinformation. These efforts are mainly aimed at media outlets, and since his election last year, police and prosecutors have repeatedly raided the homes and newsrooms of reporters accused of spreading "fake news." “We conducted a search and seizure,” he said.
The NYT continued, “Some Koreans accuse President Yoon of repurposing the expression to justify a defamation lawsuit and mobilizing prosecutors and regulators to threaten punishment and criminal investigations,” adding, “Many say their leader "We are outraged by the adoption of this phrase, which is a rallying cry for the world's strongest men, and is also further dividing an increasingly polarized electorate at home."