MBC Protests Court Order Preventing Broadcast of Show

Whether or not to air a program called “X-File,” with real names and the original sound, is again being left to the judgment of the court. “X-File” is alleged to be the wiretapped record of conversations between the president of a major daily newspaper and the senior official of a large corporation over the presidential election campaign fund back in 1997.

On the evening of July 22, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) filed a protest of the provisional disposition on the program to the Seoul Southern District Court regarding the July 21 provisional disposition made by the same court preventing X-File from being broadcast. A protest of the provisional disposition is a legal countermeasure taken by the respondent (MBC) when it does not approve of the decision.

The conclusion of the protest to the provisional disposition will be made around late August or early September. If the protest is accepted, airing the X-File with real names and the original sound will be possible.

This time, the court will concentrate on the lawfulness of the provisional disposition halting the broadcast of the program filed by Hong Seok-hyun, Korean ambassador to the United States, and then-president of Joong Ang Daily, and Lee Hak-soo, head of Samsung Group’s restructuring headquarters who was then the head of the chairman’s office of the conglomerate.

Jung-Bo Suh Ji-Seong Jeon suhchoi@donga.com verso@donga.com