The Office of the President’s Office of Overseas Public Relations is conveying the ‘foreign media’s favorable comments’ about the plan to pay compensation to victims of forced labor by a domestic company, not a Japanese company. Among the articles comprehensively dealing with the criticism and concerns of the victims and opposition from the opposition, it is confirmed that only passages favorable to the government were excerpted.
The Office of the Secretary for Overseas Public Relations has been announcing cases of reports from overseas media in the chat room of reporters who have access to the President’s Office for the third day since the Yoon Seok-yeol administration announced the so-called ‘third party reimbursement plan’. In particular, on the 6th, the day of the announcement, “After the announcement of the Korean government’s position on the Supreme Court ruling on forced labor, major English-speaking media continued to report evaluating the meaning of the announcement by reflecting the announcement from Korea and Japan and the welcoming position of US President Biden. ”he explained. Eight reports from the media, including the New York Times (NYT), AP, Archyde.com, Bloomberg, Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Financial Times (FT), and AFP, were introduced as related cases.
Major US-centered English-speaking media often focus on the US-centered practical benefits of strengthening Korea-US-Japan cooperation and containing China, and dealing with compensation plans. Nevertheless, articles in the major media did not evaluate only the ‘positive meaning’ as the Office of the Secretary to the Foreign Public Relations Office explained.
As an example, a Bloomberg report on the 6th (can be cited. In response to this report, the Office of the Office of the Secretary for Overseas Public Relations said, “Korea and Japan have begun preparing a breakthrough to end the dispute that has adversely affected all ties from trade to security,” and “Biden The U.S. president said that the announcement of the resolution of forced labor by South Korea and Japan is opening a groundbreaking new chapter in cooperation and partnership between the two countries, the closest allies of the United States.”
The actual article heavily introduces the criticism that the Yoon government’s compensation plan did not consider the victims. “The opposition party, which still occupies a majority in the National Assembly, defined this day as a ‘disgraceful day’ and criticized President Yoon for ‘serving to Japan’. A group representing the victims of forced labor reported that President Yoon was “trampling on their human rights and dignity by forcing the victims to make an unfair choice of donation rather than compensation for the diplomatic achievement of improving Korea-Japan relations.” . The article also mentioned the possibility that the South Korean government’s position on the compensation plan may change depending on the inclination of the ruling party through Lauren Richardson, a professor of international relations at the Australian National University.
On the same day, articles such as NYT, AP, and AFP, introduced by the Office of the Foreign Public Relations Secretary, also reported that the victims did not agree to the compensation plan ‘without Japan’s apology and compensation from Japanese companies’.
The same problem was repeated the next day, the 7th. The Foreign Public Relations Secretary’s Office said, “Foreign media continues to report on the analysis and comments of major international organizations and U.S. experts.” ‘s victory’ and other evaluations are reflected.” This is an explanation of MSNBC, Bloomberg, The Economist, Tokyo Economic Daily, and Voice of America (VOA) articles.
The President’s office reported on the same day, The Economist reported (the President hopes that the agreement will end the dispute that has worsened relations between the two countries for decades, and US President Biden welcomed it as opening a groundbreaking new chapter in cooperation and partnership between the two countries (Korea and Japan). ”he said.
However, in reality, this article begins with the story of Yang Geum-deok, a 95-year-old victim of forced labor. In the photo of the article, he is shown sitting in a wheelchair and holding a sign reading ‘Yun Seok-yeol’s government humiliating diplomacy OUT!’ It is said that at the age of 13, Yang, who had to work without a penny at a Mitsubishi factory in Japan, thinking that she was studying abroad, expressed her hope that “the perpetrators will apologize before I die.” The voice of attorney Lim Jae-seong, who represents the victims, was also included in the article.
The Economist said, “Most Koreans want better relations with Japan. However, according to a recent poll, 64% answered that an additional apology from Japan and an investigation into past wrongdoing were essential prerequisites.” did,” he said. The article ends with the sentence, “The biggest question is whether President Yoon did more to appease his anger or instigated it.”
The welcoming remarks of US President Biden, quoted by the presidential office, appear in the second paragraph of the entire article consisting of nine paragraphs. In a situation where it was not clear whether Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi would participate, President Yoon announced the compensation plan, and it is said that US President Joe Biden welcomed it. Among the foreign media, only a small part of the report focused on the voice of the victim was introduced.
Since then, the introduction of articles by the Office of the Secretary to the Foreign Public Relations Office has focused on articles by American experts focusing on Korea-Japan relations and the relationship between the United States and reported cases. These include Victor Cha, a Korean chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), who argued for the so-called “North Korea collapse theory,” Christopher Johnston, a CSIS Japanese chair, Sumi Terry, director of the Woodrow Wilson Center, and Washington Post columnist Max Boot.
In the meantime, the Office of the Secretary for Overseas Public Relations has mainly delivered reports on diplomatic activities. In fact, this is the first time that major reports have been introduced on a specific issue for several days in a row. It is interpreted to highlight the voices of the English-American and Japanese media, who are likely to favor the compensation plan, unlike domestic public opinion, which is highly opposed by victims and opposition parties. It is also a point of contrast with the attitude close to non-response to foreign media criticizing President Yoon and the government’s controversy over media views.
The overseas public relations secretary’s office’s response has had a publicity effect through articles in some media, which are considered ‘major media’. Immediately after the report on forced labor was distributed, <韓정부 ‘강제징용 배상 해법’ 발표에 외신…“韓-日 관계개선 첫발”(매일경제)> <대통령실 “주요 외신, ‘한국이 일본과의 관계 개선 첫 발’ 평가”(조선일보)> <대통령실 “주요 외신, 징용해법‘ 韓-日 관계개선 첫발 평가”(동아일보)> <尹정부 강제동원 해법에 외신 “한미일 협력 강화 위해 일본이 조치 취할 차례”(조선비즈)> <정부, 강제징용 해법에…주요 외신 “한일 협력 새로운 장 열었다”(노컷뉴스)> <외신, 윤석열 정부 강제동원 해법 호평…“일본 화답해야”(MBN)> Articles such as
In the case where the foreign press revealed that the victim and opposition opposition were highlighted, it was only an article on foreign media monitoring by individual media without considering the explanation of the presidential office. <외신들 “강제징용 해법에 피해자들 반발” 일제히 언급(뉴시스)> <[강제징용 해법] 외신 “한일 반목 끝낼까…피해자들은 반발”(연합뉴스)> <외신 “尹, 日강제징용 3자변제 야당 거센 비판 직면”(아시아경제)> etc. The presidential office, including President Yoon, is not sending out messages of apology or persuasion to the victims.