On Monday evening at 8 PM, political team leader Kim Eun-ji and political philosopher Dr. Kim Man-kwon will take a look at the dark side of politics.
Eunji Kim (Current Affairs IN Political Team Leader)
According to Reporters Without Borders, Korea ranks 47th in the press freedom index among 180 countries surveyed. This is a report card received by a government that speaks of ‘freedom’ more than ever. Saying that we are a G10 country and that we should now join the G8, but that the press freedom index has fallen from last year is not a good signal.
The International Federation of Journalists is also concerned about the Korean government’s investigation of certain media outlets and its hostile relationship with the media. As a result of those concerns, a special investigation team for the presidential election intervention and public opinion manipulation case was formed not long ago. There are about 10 prosecutors alone.
This is the second time that the prosecution has formed a special investigation team this year. In April of this year, five prosecutors were deployed during the drug-drink incident in the Gangnam academy district. The numbers show how seriously the prosecution is taking this issue. There is also criticism that this is actually an under-the-counter investigation with a decided conclusion.
President Yoon Seok-yeol said, “The media is all controlled by those who support the opposition party, so they only criticize the government 24 hours a day.” This reveals the current state of the media as President Yoon Seok-yeol views it. I only do media interviews with foreign media. The reason for relocating the President’s Office was to strengthen communication, but it has been a while since doorstepping stopped. The President’s thoughts on current issues can only be confirmed unilaterally at the Cabinet meeting, but we do not call that communication.
Kim Man-kwon (political philosopher)
When we have any public discussion, we must share ‘facts’ so that the story can start from there. If we all have different starting points, we can’t have a discussion. The media is responsible for securing accurate facts. So that those in power do not produce facts to suit their tastes.
When power tries to control facts, they become distorted. However, looking at President Yoon Seok-yeol’s language and actions toward the media, it seems like he is trying to create a structure that disciplines, monitors, and punishes. His image as a prosecutor rather than a politician remains in his language.
The natural function of the media is to criticize and monitor power. You may think it’s going too far, but that’s something any government has to deal with the moment it takes power. However, they are now saying that they will ‘fact check’ this, and that if malicious false reporting is confirmed, they will introduce a ‘one strike out system’ that will close the relevant media company or suspend its registration.
Even if the media has partisanship, when multiple media outlets talk about multiple facts, they cross and contrast them to get closer to the truth. You are mistaken, but the government is the object of fact checking, not the subject. The government’s ‘self-fact check’ and branding opposing voices as fake news only happens in dictatorships. Democratic governments do not engage in such censorship.
crew
Producer: Jinju Kim, Hansol Choi PD
Host: Reporter Jang Il-ho
Appearance: Reporter Eun-ji Kim, Man-kwon Kim, Kyung Hee University academic research professor and political philosopher
2023-09-19 21:10:05
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