SBS Journalists Erupt as President Lee Pressures Apology Over ‘Gang Allegation’

[Choice Times=Bo-Sik Choi, Publisher]

After President Lee Jae-myung demanded an apology on March 20 from SBS investigative program Unanswered Questions for raising allegations of his alleged links to organized crime, reporters and producers within SBS erupted in backlash.

That same evening, during its 8 p.m. main news broadcast, SBS aired a statement from the program’s production team saying,“We apologize for raising suspicions without sufficient evidence.”

However, shortly afterward, the SBS branch of the National Union of Media Workers issued a sharply contrasting statement titled,“Monitoring Power Is Not Terrorism. Stop Attempting to Control the Press.”Journalists, producers, and engineers within SBS effectively pushed back against both the apology and presidential pressure.

The union criticized President Lee for“publicly denouncing SBS and the program as ‘terror,’ ‘an operation,’ and ‘fabricated broadcasting,’ while demanding apologies,”adding that he distorted facts surrounding a 2018 broadcast that included allegations of ties between Lee and organized crime groups.

The controversy was triggered after attorney Jang Young-ha, who had spread claims of Lee’s alleged connections to criminal organizations, was found guilty by the Supreme Court on March 13. Nevertheless, the union argued that the SBS program did not simply repeat Jang’s claims, but instead reported findings uncovered earlier during coverage of thePattaya murder case, based on victim testimonies and court records.

The union emphasized:
“These suspicions had already been raised by other media outlets prior to the broadcast. The program merely brought them into public discussion and verified them. This is a core function of journalism in scrutinizing public figures.”

It further questioned the president’s intent in specifically targeting an individual producer, stating that Lee’s detailed references to the producer’s career history were“factually incorrect”and could be seen as an attempt to direct supporters toward a target for public harassment.

The union warned that“every word from the president and the presidential office toward the press can shrink press freedom and threaten independence.”It also pointed out what it described as a double standard: praising the media when favorable, while condemning it as “fabricated” when unfavorable.

The statement concluded by urging President Lee to stop pressuring the media through demands for apologies and to refrain from statements that could undermine press freedom.

Meanwhile, President Lee wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that the program had“turned him into a ‘murderous gangster’ through fabricated narratives,”claiming the broadcast was part of a broader effort involving“physical attacks, judicial manipulation, and media-driven image damage.”

He added that if similar incidents are to be prevented,“those who made such fabricated allegations—including political actors and programs like this—must reflect and apologize.”

The president’s demand followed the Supreme Court’s final ruling that allegations made in 2021—claiming Lee received approximately 2 billion won in exchange for favors to a criminal group—were false statements.