Lee Dong-gwan, a candidate for the Korea Communications Commission, defended the government’s import of American beef when he served as a spokesman for the Blue House of the Lee Myung-bak administration in the past, and said, “If the KCTU attempts to set itself on fire, it guarantees money to live on for the rest of its life.” appeared to be attempting to intervene.
In a lecture in 2008, an extreme right-leaning freelance reporter named Kim said of the late Lee Byeong-ryeol (42, age at the time of death), who set himself on fire for arguing against the import of American beef, and said, “A member of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Democratic Labor Party, if you set yourself on fire, you will eat for the rest of your life.” He was handed over to trial on charges of spreading false information, saying, “These people are joining forces with pro-North Korean forces and are now virtually attempting to overthrow the system.”
According to the President’s written report document <Related to reporter Kim’s video of mad cow disease> obtained by the Kyunghyang Shinmun through Min Hyeong-bae’s office of the Minjoo Party of Korea on the 14th, the Office of the Senior Secretary to the Blue House for Civil Affairs and the Office of the Chief of State Affairs Planning centered on the Office of the First Press Secretary under the then spokesman Lee Dong-gwan. The lecture was spread on the Internet and a plan to support reporter Kim’s lawsuit was devised.
The document is a written report to the President prepared by the Office of the Chief of State Affairs Planning on August 18, 2008, and is one of the Blue House documents obtained during a search and seizure of the Yeongpo Building in Seocho-gu, Seoul by the prosecution investigating the actual owner of DAS in 2018. In the document, it was stated that the related facts were ‘reported’ to then-President Lee Myung-bak.
What happened in the middle of the mad cow disease outbreak in 2008?
June 6, 2008, when candlelight vigils were in full swing due to the mad cow disease outbreak. Reporter Kim gave a lecture at a religious group’s all-night prayer meeting on the topic of <Who is behind the candlelight protests and mad cow disease?>. As a freelance journalist, he is a person who contributed to far-right media such as Jogabje.com.
Reporter Kim said in a lecture, “Another alter ego was attempted. It belongs to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Democratic Labor Party.” It was later known that he said, “This compensation rule is enormous,” which caused controversy. The lecture was given in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, when the late Lee Byung-ryul, who set himself on fire on May 25, 2008, claiming to ‘withdraw the US beef import notification’ and ‘overthrow the Lee Myung-bak regime’, was in the midst of death.
The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions’ Public Transport Workers’ Union and the Democratic Labor Party sued him for ‘defamation by false information’, saying, “We cannot forgive reporter Kim who insulted the deceased.” Reporter Kim received a final judgment of compensation of 20 million won at the trial. In the first trial in 2009, the Seoul Central District Court ordered reporter Kim to pay 10 million won each to the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions and the Democratic Labor Party.
The court said, “The defendant lowered the social evaluation of the plaintiffs by portraying them as abetting or aiding the self-immolation of union members.” They didn’t go through the process.” Reporter Kim subsequently appealed and appealed, but all were dismissed.
■Lee Dong-gwan’s shadow over the ‘Mad Cow Disease Lecture Video’ lawsuit
Lee Myung-bak, the Blue House secretary for national policy affairs, managed the matter by writing a document on <Reporter Kim Mo’s video related to mad cow disease>. The document summarized the ‘relevant measures within the government’, saying, “(Reporter Kim, a freelance reporter) is currently in a lawsuit with the Democratic Labor Party and the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions in relation to the contents of the lecture.”
The document summarized the contents of the lecture as “the cause of the candlelight vigils and the mad cow disease incident was ① distorted reports by MBC and KBS and ② instigation by forces who wanted to overthrow the government.” Below that, the spread of the lecture video and support for reporter Kim were presented as ‘countermeasures’.
It was the ‘1st Secretary of the Press Office’ under the spokesman Lee Dong-gwan who took the lead in the response. In the detailed response, “Corresponding mainly to the Office of the First Secretary of the Press”, “Disseminate related materials (reporter Kim’s lecture video) on the Internet, etc., and provide and use related materials to lawmakers (Rep. Kim Yong-tae and Jin Seong-ho) and the military (for education). Action (do)” was written.
There is also a situation in which Candidate Lee was directly involved in supporting reporter Kim’s lawsuit at the time. In the document, it is written that “a support plan related to the lawsuit is being considered (assistance for hiring a lawyer, etc.)” and “notification from the spokesperson’s office to the civil affairs chief’s office”. It is interpreted as meaning that the spokesperson’s office for Lee Dong-gwan grasped the progress of the lawsuit related to reporter Kim and notified the office of the chief civil affairs officer to share the situation so that legal support and other measures could be taken. In the document, it was also written, “Report to the President (Affiliate Office) of related facts (June 2008)”.
The document <Reporter Kim’s video related to mad cow disease> was produced inside the Blue House, not the National Intelligence Service, and various departments within the Blue House, centering on the Spokesperson’s Office, were involved, and it was reported to the President. It is pointed out that the spokesperson at the time ‘could not have known’ of the matter that the press secretary’s office, which is directly under the spokesperson’s office, was referred to as the chief secretary’s office.
■ Reporter Kim’s side “I didn’t get any money from the Blue House”
It is unclear whether the Blue House policy 메이저사이트in the document was implemented. Attorney Koh Young-joo, who represented reporter Kim at the time, said, “I have never received money from the Blue House,” and “It seems that someone (at the Blue House) was condescending.” Reporter Kim said, “I have never received help from the Blue House during the trial process.” Candidate Lee’s side said, “There is no such fact,” to the question of whether the spokesperson’s office notified the civil affairs office of the request to seek support for reporter Kim’s lawsuit.
Rep. Min said, “As the document prepared by the spokesperson’s office, where he was the head, has clearly revealed his act of controlling the media, Candidate Lee should apologize and resign even now,” he said. It is self-evident that if a candidate joins the Korea Communications Commission, which is already biased enough to appoint him as the chairman of the Broadcasting Culture Promotion Association, broadcasting independence cannot be expected at all.”