hankyoreh

Lee Dong-kwan, Yoon’s pick to run the Korea Communications Commission, takes questions from the press as he enters his office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, on Aug. 1. (Kang Chang-kwang/The Hankyoreh)

“We don’t consider Communist Party newspapers or TV broadcasts to be proper news media,” said Lee Dong-kwan, the Yoon Suk-yeol-appointed candidate to head the Korea Communications Commission, on Tuesday.

The remarks are being interpreted as aimed at press that has been critical of Yoon’s appointments of administration officials and Lee’s own controversial past attempts to control the media, seemingly to label those outlets as mouthpieces for communism.

“The media, which enjoys freedom of speech in a free and democratic constitutional order, must be responsible for what they report,” Lee said.

Lee’s comments came when he met with reporters on his way to his office in Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province, early on Tuesday.

“As all of you are aware, I myself am a journalist who has been working in this field for more than 20 years, which is why I have always stuck true to the belief that the freedom of the press is the most important value in a free democracy,” he said.

In response to questions about his attempts to control the media, he said, “In part, I do have regrets about some issues, but I cannot emphasize more the fact that the media is something that cannot and should not be controlled.”

He followed up this response with a statement on more critical media outlets.

“But with freedom comes responsibility, and that’s why irresponsibly spreading fake news, or conveying logic or arguments based on partisan interests, is a departure from the heart of journalism,” he emphasized.

“We don’t consider the newspapers or TV broadcasts made by any political party, especially the Communist Party, that instigated the public and published propaganda to be proper news media.”

He added that “such organizations do not convey true facts, but biased arguments. Instead of calling them ‘news,’ they are called ‘organs.’”

When asked which specific media outlets were assuming a role similar to communist propaganda organs, he declined to give a specific answer, only saying it was “for the people to judge.”

Regarding allegations that he helped cover-up purported school bullying by his son, he minced his words by saying he would “slowly, sincerely, accurately reveal the truth of the matter based on facts,” but spoke more at length about the claims of bribery involving his spouse.

“The actual truth of the matter is very simple,” he said. “I did not know that the money had its roots in an illegal favor, and I returned it immediately since I thought it was a souvenir. In short, I returned it [the gold] and investigations regarding the matter were launched because I reported the incident to the Blue House senior presidential secretary for civil affairs.”

However, in response to a question about why there has been no explanation of when, how, and to whom he reported to the senior presidential secretary’s office in his candidacy materials on July 30, he replied, “I don’t think it’s a situation where I can be called to account. I do not know the individual I reported it to.”

In a related report on Thursday, broadcaster YTN pointed out that if the candidate had immediately reported the attempted bribery of his wife, it is difficult to understand why key government figures, including then-Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Yu In-chon, attended and gave speeches at an event two months after the attempted bribe hosted by the person who had given Lee’s wife the money.

The Democratic Party criticized the candidate’s remarks about “Communist Party newspapers” as revealing a narrow and shallow view of journalism.

“Lee Dong-kwan talks about freedom of the press, but right out of the gate he has blatantly showed his intention to control the media,” said Jo Seoung-lae, a Democratic lawmaker in the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee.

Jo went on to point out that “by calling certain media outlets ‘communists,’ in the 21st century, does the ‘freedom of media’ that he insists on include the freedom to throw stones at media that are slightly critical?”

By Choi Sung-jin, staff reporter

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