Of the 476 passengers that were on the boat, most were high school aged children, and 304 did not survive. The shipping company received a great deal of criticism and outrage when it was found that the boat had been overloaded and its captain had escaped with giving up the most important job, namely rescuing the passengers. The South Korean government came under fire for its perceived mishandling of the crisis and its repercussions. Government rescue efforts immediately following the crash were slow, and government spokespersons later gave comments to the press that tried to minimize the government’s role in the disaster.
In the weeks and months following the disaster, some news agencies speculated that the slow government response stemmed from President Park Geun-hye’s unavailability during the crisis. Indeed, Park’s approval rating, which was at 71 percent before the Sewol Sank, plunged to the 40s in the weeks following. The president was reported to have been missing for seven hours on April 16, and as the South Korean government did not respond to this report, rumors arose. One of the rumors, which has now drawn worldwide attention, was published in South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo: the president was missing because she was secretly meeting with a male former aide.
As President Park is a single woman, and the aide was reported to be either married or very had recently divorced at the time of their alleged rendezvous, this rumor is obviously compelling. However, the story did not receive worldwide attention until it was repeated in a Japanese paper, Sankei Shimbun, on August 3. A reporter who wrote the article was quickly indicted for defamation against President Park, and a travel ban was issued to prevent him from leaving the country. The reporter, Tatsuya Kato, was the paper’s bureau chief in Seoul when the article was released but was officially reassigned to Tokyo on October 1. He has, of course, been unable to leave South Korea due to the ban.
The indictment of Kato caused an outcry not only in Japan and but also worldwide, especially as more facts about the case made available. Kato has pleaded not guilty to the charges of defamation and plans to continue protesting his innocence throughout the course of the trial. In his report, he included citations from the Chosun Ilbo article while also citing sources in the South Korean securities industry. Chosun Ilbo has been imposed no penalties against it.
Kato claimed that his goal was to tell the Japanese people what South Koreans thought about President Park and to inform them about a story that had arisen that explained her absence. Therefore, his article was written in Japanese language. Criminal indictment may target its Korean-translated one, not his article itself. There were discussions in South Korea about what the President was doing during the seven hours following the accident, which are usually very critical for coming up with effective rescuing measures for minimizing damages from a disastrous accident. Therefore, various rumors spread while the South Korean government failed to give an explanation about it. “I tried to inform Japanese readers about the situation,” Kato said in a Japan Times article.
Further outrage over the story comes from reporters worldwide, who say that the actions toward Tatsuya Kato are a violation of free press. It is a common sense globally shared among the developed countries that a criminal penalty should be the last measure to be invoked and blatant challenge to the free press. South Korea has a strong defamation statute, and Kato could face seven years of prison if he is found guilty. In this case, South Korea is doubly violating the common sense because its government has treated Chosun Ilbo, its domestic press, in a discriminately favorable treatment, namely no penalties. The government also has a strong national security law that authorizes the censoring of the media to combat North Korean propaganda, and some critics of the situation are of the opinion that the government is taking advantage of their power over the media. Reporters Without Borders, a group promoting free press worldwide, has recently called for the release of Kato and the dropping of charges, saying that the president should not try to use the media to improve her image. Head of the Asian desk at Reporters Without Borders, Benjamin Ismail, is quoted in the Japan Times as saying, “It is completely normal for news media to ask questions about the actions of politicians, including the president.”
Many other countries have responded to South Korea’s actions toward Tatsuya Kato with official statements. Japan has protested the indictment and summoned South Korean minister Kim Weon-jin to Tokyo to express concerns about the indictment and South Korea’s apparent disregard for press freedom. As of this moment, Kato remains banned from traveling outside of South Korea, and he is still embroiled in his trial. The rest of the world watches on in shock and minor disbelief at this seemingly obvious case of free press versus government censorship, and many await the decision of the court.
