‘Truth atelier’ left after North Korea’s unusual apology

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un apologized on the 25th for shooting a public official who disappeared in the West Sea. It was through a notice to South Korea on behalf of the North Korean Workers Unification Front. A day has passed since President Moon demanded responsible responses and actions from the North Korean authorities.

All major general newspapers that publish paper newspapers on Saturday the 26th published the number on the front page. The media said that inter-Korean relations will not get worse due to North Korea’s unusual apology, but the truth is left behind due to the divergence of positions of both sides regarding the damage to the body.

Kyunghyang Shinmun “Something unfavorable from the president of North Korea, Kim Jong-un ‘… I am very sorry for the South Koreans”
Kookmin Ilbo “Kim Jong-un was ‘sorry’ but … Insisting on ‘killing is a work regulation'”
Dong-A Ilbo “Sorry” from North Korea but “I shoot according to the rules”
Seoul Shinmun No newspaper Saturday edition
Segye Ilbo “Kim Jong-un apologizes for the surprise … ‘I am so sorry for this unpleasant thing'”
Chosun Ilbo “It was said that it was brutality … Kim Jong-un said ‘I’m sorry’.
JoongAng SUNDAY “Joint Cham is called North Korea, but North Korea has chosen it because it is likely to escape”
The Hankyoreh “Kim Jong-un ‘I’m so sorry’.
Hankook Ilbo “Kim Jong-un apologizes, international controversy and inter-Korean tensions subside”

Like the media, the North’s apology was highly unusual. Through an unusual apology, inter-Korean relations were prevented from going “for the worst,” but public anger will not be easily extinguished. The controversy remains.

Kyunghyang Shinmun, page 1, “Apologies for the Supreme Leader of North Korea, extraordinary apology”, Kukmin Ilbo, “North Korea, government statement, unusual apology in one day”, Segye Ilbo, “Extraordinary event”, JoongAng SUNDAY , “Send unusual apology notice”, On the first page of the Hankyoreh, “the highest ruler apologizes directly in one day” and the first page of the Hankook Ilbo, “An unprecedented notice” made common assessments.

On the cover, Hankook Ilbo said: “Indeed, North Korea sent an apology as an official document, including an expression of regret at the Ministry of Communications level and a direct message of apology from President Kim. It is unprecedented. North Korea verbally apologized after four years for the infiltration of the Qing Dynasty armed service in January 1968, and expressed regret over the incident of Panmunjom’s ax assassination in 1976 to UN forces, not to the South ”.

Hankook Ilbo’s article analyzed that such a swift apology was expected to have the effect of △ recovering the image of the leader of a normal country △ Revealing irrelevant to the order of this incident △ Handling the situation of inter-Korean relations △ Considering the negotiations of Denuclearization of North America after the November Presidential Election. did.

Unlike other general dailies that mentioned an unusual apology, the lead story on the Dong-A Ilbo front page contained no such assessment, and the lead story on the Chosun Ilbo front page said that the Moon government was reluctant to say which was an ‘extraordinary apology’. I made a title.

The first page of the Dong-A Ilbo emphasized “the possibility that North Korea concealed the cruel killing process with a one-sided claim that it is difficult to confirm the facts,” and the first page of the Chosun Ilbo also emphasized “the Korean military authorities on key issues such as body damage, attempts to escape North Korea, shooting conditions and orders from above. He stressed that he expressed a very different position than in the ad. “

After such an unusual apology, the ‘Truth Workshop’ remains. On page 2, the Kyunghyang Shinmun said: “The content revealed by the North is the same as the content announced by the Ministry of National Defense. However, he noted that the content of the two parties’ announcement is markedly different with respect to the indication of the missing person’s intention to escape North Korea, the firing order from the top of the North, and whether the body was burned. “North Korea claimed that the” illegal intruder “was killed in accordance with the rules of conduct and that the body was not burned or abandoned.

In the Hankyoreh cover story, “The element of anxiety is still there. The impact of the shooting and the deaths of civilians still persists, and the problem of the damage to the corpses, where the arguments of the North and the South are contradictory. “He said.” If no bodies are found and the suspicion about the death process of the victims is not resolved, anti-North Korean sentiment in South Korean society will be strengthened. Efforts to improve relations cannot be ruled out in light of the possibility of a rapid loss of power. “.

At the same time, Hankyoreh said: “Where is the ‘Key to finding the truth’? “If the North Korean side’s explanation is true, it appears that the victim’s body will be floating around the mountainous headland at the southern tip of the Ongjin Peninsula,” he argued, saying that a joint search should be conducted between the two Koreas to determine the truth.

The Hankook Ilbo said in the three-page article “‘Body was burned’, ‘there was only blood’ … South and North Korea, some lie,” saying: “If North Korea immediately fires an unarmed civilian who intends to go to North Korea, it will be in a corner of the North Korean international community. ” Regarding the explanation of “It is very possible that it is the clarification of North Korea’s face that is aware of the wavelength. The killing of unarmed civilians can be transferred to the United Nations Human Rights Council or the International Court of Justice (ICC), and there are many possible violations of the Geneva Convention for the Protection of Civilians during War. “

The Chosun Ilbo published three editorials on the 26th, “Would you tell us what you were doing?” He criticized North Korea’s actions and the South Korean government’s response by publishing a ‘respect for the life of gold’ and the public letter.

In an editorial, the Chosun Ilbo wrote: “The biggest difference (between the north and south sides) was that only floating objects were incinerated, not bodies,” and wrote: “He is trying to change the character of the barbaric treatment to the ‘murder of Illegal intruders by soldiers in the field ‘”. He also said, “If this is true, those soldiers who made Kim Jong-un apologize like a god cannot spare their lives.”

On the 28th, the Ministry of Justice is expected to publish a notice of legislation to seriously introduce the system of compensation for punitive damages. The amendment to the Commercial Law includes media companies.

The Hankyoreh said in an editorial on the 26th: “Will the media also introduce a ‘punitive damages’ bill?” “Introducing a system of punitive damages for media companies may also accept concerns that introducing a system of punitive damages will infringe on freedom of expression, but the trust and influence of the press. It is also essential to deter fake news to strengthen its role by increasing value ”.

He said: “If the risk of being undermined by legitimate reports of criticism is eliminated by avoiding methods of criminal punishment and by preparing sophisticated measures to prevent abuse in the legislative process, the punitive damage compensation system may be a reasonable alternative to counter the fake news. ” He also emphasized that media reflection and midnight efforts are essential rather than introducing a punitive damages compensation system.

Copyright © Media Today, unauthorized reproduction and redistribution are prohibited.