Japanese reporter's acquittal sparks debate over journalism ethics

By Lee Haye-ah SEOUL, Dec. 18 (Yonhap) -- The acquittal of a Japanese journalist accused of defaming President Park Geun-hye has raised eyebrows in some parts of South Korea and Japan because of its implications for the ethics of journalism down the road. On Thursday, a Seoul court found Tatsuya Kato, a former Seoul bureau chief for the conservative daily Sankei Shimbun, not guilty of defaming the president in his article last year, which reported on rumors that she had a private meeting with a man while the government was struggling to take early measures to cope with April's deadly ferry sinking that claimed more than 300 lives. The article was "inappropriate" as the rumors turned out to be false, but the defendant wrote in the interest of the public and should be protected under the value of the freedom of the press, the court said. While both Seoul and Tokyo welcomed the ruling, saying it will help improve bilateral ties, some expressed concerns about yellow journalism. "(The article) didn't provide any grounds, and it appears that there wasn't enough collection of material," Hatsunosuke Kou, a Japanese lawyer familiar with both South Korean and Japanese law, was quoted as saying by Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. Hiroyoshi Usui, professor of media studies at Japan's Sophia University, also questioned whether the content of the article was related to a defense of the freedom of the press, according to the paper. "In an Internet society, even rumors could be taken as truth as they spread," the paper quoted him as saying. Japan's Mainichi Shimbun newspaper carried an editorial Friday saying a rumor can't be an excuse to write anything. South Korea's major newspapers were critical of the way the Sankei has shown no remorse for its controversial report. "Even though Kato's article was found to be untrue, the Sankei has not uttered a word of apology, let alone made a correction," wrote an editorial writer for the conservative Chosun Ilbo newspaper. "A false report is fatal to a journalist, and yet there is no embarrassment." The two governments have issued similar statements in a rare move, showing their determination to improve relations in a year that marks the 50th anniversary of the normalization of bilateral ties. "Now that the burden caused by the indictment has been removed, we expect it to be an opportunity for improved ties between South Korea and Japan going forward," a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Thursday. The official stressed that the trial clearly revealed that the report had been based on false facts. South Korea hopes that a similar incident will not occur, and this point has been delivered and stressed to Tokyo, he added. In Tokyo, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, echoed Seoul's view. "We would like to value the ruling also from the perspective of Japan-South Korea relations," he said at a press briefing Friday. "We would like to hope that it will have a positive impact on pushing forward Japan-South Korea ties." (END)