[Opinion] You Are Innocent When You Are Powerful

When making presentations at an International Academic Conference conducted in foreign languages, Korean presenters put a lot of efforts to come up with right and accurate translation of their papers. They put even greater efforts when their articles are published on international media. That is to prevent any misunderstanding or disgraceful accidents caused by wrong expressions. Thus, even though the presenter is fluent in the target language, he or she tries to get any much expert opinion for the translation as possible. Still, problems caused by wrong translation occur frequently. In such cases, the responsibility is fully on the part of the presenter and those who assisted the presenter is not.

▷The Korean Culture and Information Centers sentenced its Deputy-Chief Chung Sun-kyun, who wrote an article criticizing Korea in Asian Wall Street Journal, to be ‘free from suspicion.’ Instead, it issued warnings to the Korean Information Service, which wrote the draft for the article in Korean and to the Assistance Director for the Foreign Press who translated it. This is something that anyone who has been to an International conference at least for once cannot understand. Neither can anyone who has published writings on foreign newspapers or magazines. Deputy-chief Chung`s writing is somewhat like a rebuttal. It is clear that he must have gone through serious thinking and discussion for clear delivery of message, in order to logically respond to someone else`s article. It is highly unlikely to be sheer mistake caused by an ‘error’ or ‘negligence.’

▷ Deputy-chief Chung overly criticized Korean media and depicted journalists as people who cause irregularities by establishing cozy relations with politicians. Yet, Deputy-chief Chung and the Korean Culture and Information Centers` officials kept making irresponsible excuses saying “I did not mean it”, “the Korean Information Service and Chief of Foreign Press sent the article themselves when it was translated so I had no chance to read it before it was published on the newspaper. He even distorted the meaning of English word `regular` saying when he wrote “people are giving out bribes regularly, what I actually mean was `often.`” However, the government excuse worked. No one is brought responsible for it after all.

▷In the Korean society, seniors who bear all the responsibility and cover juniors faults were praised as a virtuous person. Therefore, juniors followed seniors wholeheartedly and seniors protected them from harms way. This incident not only shows that a government agency that is responsible for promoting Korea has wrong perception about media, but also revealed imprudence of passing one`s responsibility over to his juniors. It is already shameful for Koreans to know about this incident but it is also known to foreigners that we are tarnishing our national image and suffering disgrace. I just wish that cynical criticism of the Korean society being soft on those with power while being severe to the socially weak is not too widespread.

Beak Sun-ki, Guest Writer, Professor of the Press Study at Sungkyunkwan University, baek99@chollian.net