Brutal interference: Chinese tabloids hit out at critics of South Korea | Political news

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The Global Times hit out at Seoul after its embassy complained about tabloid coverage of President Yoons’ visit to the United States.

The Chinese state-run Global Times blasted the South Korean embassy after it sent a letter to the tabloid criticizing its coverage of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol’s visit to the United States.

In a Monday editorial titled ‘This newspaper has something to say about the protest by South Korean embassies’, the English-language tabloid bristled at a strong protest sent to its editors last week by the Seoul embassy. in Beijing.

The letter, sent on Friday, criticized Global Times reporting on the visit as well as a number of its columns and op-eds. A letter was also sent to the editor of Huanqiu Shibao, a newspaper that is part of the Communist Partys Peoples Daily.

The embassy accused state newspapers of using sensational, provocative, and inappropriate language that denigrated our president and our government’s foreign policy.

Some of the criticism leveled at our president, using words so vulgar they are barely repeatable, will make one wonder if they even come from the media, the embassy added.

The Global Times, known for its nationalist reporting, showed no contrition for the rare public rebuke from a foreign embassy.

Such words that cross borders and are accompanied by strong emotions should not come from a diplomatic institution, the editorial said. We cannot accept the rather brutal interference in our independent reporting.

Bow to Japan

Yoon, a conservative politician elected last year, is seeking closer ties with the United States and Japan amid heightened tensions in the region over challenges posed by South Korea’s aggressive weapons tests. North and an increasingly assertive China.

He oversaw deepening military ties with Washington and spent six days in the United States in April where he was honored with a state dinner marking 70 years of the two countries’ alliance, and also took speaking at a joint session of the US Congress.

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has worked to improve ties with Japan and overcome tensions inherited from Japanese colonial rule [The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters]The previous month, Yoon had traveled to Tokyo, the first visit by a South Korean leader in 12 years, as he sought to overcome years of historic animosity stemming from Japanese colonial rule on the Korean peninsula.

The Global Times report accused him of blindly following the United States and bowing to Japan to please Washington, saying Seoul’s actions had contributed to tensions in the region.

The South Korean Embassy mentioned the April 26, April 30, May 3, and May 4 reports, although it did not mention any specific articles.

I wonder how the Chinese people would react if the Korean media published daily articles criticizing the Chinese leader in the same way, the letter said, adding that professional journalists must meet certain standards.

The Global Times editorial noted that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida began a historic two-day visit to Seoul on May 7 and was happy to see an improvement in relations between the two countries provided it does not harm not in China’s interests.

Insisting that its editorials had been as polite as possible, the newspaper continued: Since the current South Korean government came to power, it has responded to the actions of the United States, Japan and other countries. aimed at undermining regional stability. He also repeatedly made erroneous remarks on major issues that concern China’s sovereignty and grossly interfered in China’s internal affairs, such as the Taiwan issue. Now he is targeting Chinese media.

If South Korean diplomacy continues in this direction, the consequences will not only be the alienation of China-South Korea relations, or the loss of South Korean national dignity in the face of Washington and Tokyo. On the contrary, it will stimulate, induce and aggravate the imbalance and even the collapse of the situation in Northeast Asia. It will be unbearable for South Korea.

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