hankyoreh

Um Ki-young

Brushing aside the problems in the Korea-U.S. negotiations on beef imports that concluded with a humiliating agreement, the Grand National Party, government, conservative media and prosecutors are launching an offensive to blame the candlelight protests on MBC’s current affairs program “The Producer’s Notebook.” Despite the fact that President Lee Myung-bak himself acknowledged in a press conference in June that the beef talks were “mistaken negotiations” that failed to fully consider the people’s concerns about food safety, with the candlelight demonstrations weakening, the Grand National Party and conservative media such as the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, DongA Ilbo and Munhwa Ilbo have been trying to turn the situation around, arguing in unison that “The Producer’s Notebook” is responsible for the protests.

Prosecutors, too, have been saying repeatedly that if the program’s production team continues to refuse to turn over its original tapes and other materials, and fails to come in for questioning, they will have no choice but to consider getting arrest warrants and search and seizure warrants for MBC.

Using MBC’s August 12 apology for the “Producer’s Notebook” report on mad cow disease as their opportunity, the Grand National Party is even pressing for legal measures to be taken against the program. Gone are the voices of those within the party calling on it to reflect on the government’s incompetence and self-importance in ignoring public opinion and abandoning the public’s right to health and Korea’s quarantine sovereignty. Now, the party is claiming that the public was tricked on to the streets by a false report, and that the instigator of that cause must take responsibility.

Appearing on CBS Radio’s “Kim Hyeon-jeong’s News Show” on August 13, GNP lawmaker Lee Kyung-jae claimed the candlelight protests had started because of the MBC program’s “exaggerated, false” report, leading to “a movement to remove the government, and causing the country’s domestic and international risk rating to fall and much national harm.”

Also appearing on CBS Radio, fellow GNP lawmaker Kim Yong-tae spoke on August 12 about MBC’s refusal to turn over its broadcast material, saying that prosecutors should even carry out forcible investigations, and that MBC was not sacred ground just because it is a media company. Conservative media like the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo, DongA Ilbo and Munhwa Ilbo are arguing in sync that “The Producer’s Notebook” is responsible for the protests, claiming that the protests began when the program conveyed mistaken information to viewers through a biased and distorted report.

Yet some point out that the GNP and the conservative media’s claims not only ignore the government’s original responsibility for its mishandled negotiations and unreasonably impute blame for the protests onto PD Diary, but also denigrate the people who participated in the protests as blind followers who were tricked by a false report.

Chung-Ang University sociology professor Sin Gwang-yeong said the general citizenry had already learned a lot about the government’s mistaken negotiations through the Internet and understood the dangers of mad cow disease. He said claims that the candlelight protests took place due to the “Producer’s Notebook” report are not persuasive.

The GNP and conservative media’s argument that the program is responsible for the protests also block progress on a parliamentary investigation of the beef deal agreed upon by the ruling and opposition parties to examine the causes of the beef deal and prepare follow-up measures as well as talks on revising Korea’s livestock disease law.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]