A number of Japanese TV broadcasters have
stopped allowing four individuals critical of the North Korean regime to appear
on television, Daily NK has learned. The steps took place in accordance with
demands from the de facto North Korean representative in Japan, Chongryon.
Chongryon’s demand came alongside a warning
that any company that opts to violate the agreement by broadcasting persons
designated as “unfairly” critical of North Korea will be refused
access to North Korea for news-gathering purposes.
“Chongryon
has produced a ‘blacklist’ and is using it to put pressure on
Japanese broadcasters,” the
head of the Tokyo-based Korea International Institute (KII), Park Doo Jin
explained to Daily NK on the 30th. “Some private broadcasters have already accepted the Chongryon
request and seem to be changing their stance on North Korea issues.”
The Chongryon blacklist contains Park
himself, Professor Lee Young Hwa of Kansei University, the head of Daily NK’s office in Tokyo, Ko Young Gi, and the
founder of ASIAPRESS, Ishimaru Jiro.
Park, Lee and Ko are all long-time
opponents of the Kim regime and central figures in Japanese campaigns to
improve North Korean human rights since the 1990s. Ishimaru has been making
covert films in the border region of China and within North Korea itself for
more than a decade. His films have been released worldwide, receiving
considerable acclaim.
The issue of Chongryon
pressure was recently brought up in the Japanese legislature, which raised
grave concerns over the impact fairness in domestic broadcasting.
Speaking during a meeting of a special
committee covering North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens, congressman
Miyake Hiroshi of the Japan Restoration Party commented on June 9th, “Without cause, broadcasters have
surrendered to [Chongryon] pressure and are refusing to let these four people
appear on TV.”
“Park Doo
Jin appeared on TV and radio, and provided broadcast supervision on a total of
83 occasions in 2013,” he went on. “But that number decreased rapidly
from the second half of 2013, and it looks like there have been measures to
halt his appearances in media in 2014.”
Corroborating the
story, Professor Lee Young Hwa told Daily NK personally, “Since last fall the number of offers I’ve had to appear on programs has
plunged.” Lee added that this “calls for a reevaluation of the
freedom and independence of the Japanese press by the international community.”
Speaking about the current situation, a
source from one of the Tokyo-based broadcasters, who requested anonymity
acknowledged that Tokyo broadcasters are “in fact not putting these four
on television.”
According to the source, Chongryon has been
pressuring broadcasters in the Japanese capital since the end of 2011, when
a Mr. Seo, presenting himself as a Chongryon director, visited the
international news sections of Tokyo-based broadcasters just prior to Kim Jong
Il’s passing. He is said to have told bureau chiefs to stop showing Park, Lee,
Ko and Ishimaru.
Seo alleged at the time that Lee and Ko are
wanted in the North, while Park is a former member of Chongryon who betrayed
the organization and Ishimaru makes “false” and
“fake” videos. “Why do
you use inside videos whose authenticity cannot even be confirmed?” he reportedly demanded to know.
However, the threats and cautions initially
went unheeded; that is until April 2012, when North Korea allowed approximately
20 members of the foreign press corps into Pyongyang to cover the launch of a
long-range missile and commemoration of Kim Il Sung’s 100th birthday. Only certain Japanese broadcasters were granted
permission to take part.
Among Japanese companies, Kyodo News, which
has had a branch office in Pyongyang for many years, and NHK were the first to
receive permission. Conversely, private broadcasters TBS, TV Asahi and Nippon
TV had to apply for access through Chongryon and then wait in Beijing for
approval. On other occasions since then, Chongryon has actively discriminated
between broadcasters when events of bilateral import take place.
“From the
broadcaster’s point
of view, if their competitors have a certain piece of footage and they cannot
have it, that is a massive burden on them,” the source said. “Footage
of the launch of a long-range missile or Kim Il Sung-related celebrations are
not things that broadcasters can easily give up.”
Nevertheless, he concluded, “No matter what the news-gathering
circumstances, selecting who goes on TV based on external pressure from a
specific organization is unimaginable in the Japanese media, and is a violation
of the principles of a free press.”
Analyzing the possible background to the
current situation, Park Doo Jin said, “Chongryon’s power
has declined since the launch of the Kim Jong Eun regime. Therefore, the
leadership has made a proactive move to control Japanese broadcasters, thus to
express its loyalty [to Pyongyang].”
