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A South Korean photographer who was beaten by Chinese security personnel is being moved to a hospital after arriving at Incheon International Airport on Dec. 15. (Yonhap News)
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Two photographers were beaten and injured as they attempted to cover President Moon’s state visit
China said that it would be investigating an attack on two South Korean photographers by Chinese security guards that occurred during South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s visit to China and that it would be reviewing the necessary measures, South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. “During the state dinner the previous day, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-hwa expressed her regrets to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and asked for similar events to be prevented and for the guilty parties to be disciplined. On the evening of Dec. 14, Chinese Foreign Ministry Department of Asian Affairs Deputy Director General Chen Hai contacted the South Korean Foreign Ministry and communicated ‘orders from above,’” a senior official from South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said on the morning of Dec. 15. As disclosed by South Korea’s Foreign Ministry, the message from the Chinese Foreign Ministry contained the following three points: that the Chinese Foreign Ministry is urging the relevant ministries to carry out an urgent investigation; that after the facts are determined, which will take some time, it will review the necessary measures; and that it hopes that both sides will work to ensure that this does not detract from a successful state visit. This official quoted Chen as saying that “KOTRA [Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency] did hire a private security company, but there were probably also public security police officers on the scene to provide security, and it will be necessary to determine whether the assailant was a police officer or a private security guard. We believe that this was an unfortunate accident that occurred while the security guards were taking security measures on the scene and while the reporters were doing their reporting.” “The Chinese government will try to bring about the quick and thorough revelation of the particulars of this incident through close cooperation between the relevant ministries and South Korea, and it will strive to ensure that this incident does not have an adverse effect on the successful mood of President Moon’s state visit,” an official from the Chinese Foreign Ministry told the South Korean Foreign Ministry on the afternoon of the same day. “Considering that South Korea organized the event, invited the reporters in question and hired the security company, the investigation will probably be primarily carried out by the organizers. But regardless, since the incident occurred in China, we will cooperate [with the investigation], and we hope that the related investigation will go well. President Moon’s visit to China has been going smoothly so far, notwithstanding the minor episode that occurred yesterday,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang during the daily press briefing on Dec. 15. The Chinese public security police questioned the victims three times between the evening of Dec. 14 and the early hours of Dec. 15. The police asked about the situation on the ground at the time, including whether the South Korean reporters’ press passes had been visible, and the victims reportedly testified that they had followed the rules. Immediately after his meeting with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Dec. 15, Moon visited the South Korean reporters’ press center and offered his consolation for the unfortunate incident that had occurred. In regard to the assault, the president stated that “the Foreign Ministry and the pool of reporters have both protested, so appropriate measures will probably be taken.” The two reporters who were attacked returned to South Korea on the afternoon of Dec. 15. By Kim Oi-hyun, Beijing correspondent Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
