Photographer was severely beaten by around 15 security guards while covering President Moon’s visit to China, reports say

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

South Korea is demanding a formal apology from Beijing after a South Korean photojournalist was severely beaten by more than a dozen Chinese guards while attempting to cover a state visit by its president, Moon Jae-in.



Moon’s four-day visit, his first to China since his election in May, was supposed to promote warmer ties between Seoul and Beijing after a long-running feud over Thaad, the controversial US missile defence system introduced to counter attacks from North Korea. On Thursday night Moon, a left-leaning human rights lawyer, is due to meet China’s leader, Xi Jinping.



However, according to multiple reports in the South Korean media, there were violent scenes on Thursday morning when Chinese guards attempted to restrict the movements of a group of journalists at a trade fair in Beiing attended by Moon.



South Korea’s official news agency, Yonhap, reported that after the group was blocked, one photographer “was taken outside of the venue by some 15 Chinese security guards. [He] took a severe beating while being completely surrounded by the guards despite strong protests from his colleagues and South Korean officials, including those from the presidential office,” Yonhap said.

The English-language Korea JoongAng Daily said that as presidential officials “tried to stop them, more than 15 Chinese men punched and kicked the journalist as he fell on the ground. He took a severe beating to his face.”

Presidential officials “were also grabbed and pushed when they tried to stop the Chinese guards’ violence against the reporter”, the newspaper added. A report in the Korea Herald claimed the guards “threw punches and kicks”.

After being treated by Moon’s medical team, Yonhap said the journalist was taken to hospital where he required “intensive treatment”.

In a separate incident, a second photographer from Hankook Ilbo, another leading South Korean daily, was reportedly “grabbed by the collar and knocked to the ground” by Chinese guards while attempting to follow his president.

“We are taking this violence extremely seriously,” a senior presidential official was quoted as saying by the JoongAng Daily.

The incident comes two years to the day after violent scenes broke out outside the trial of a Chinese free speech activist; scores of police and plainclothes security agents wearing masks attempted to physically drive supporters, diplomats and journalists from the area.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) denounced the 2015 incident – in which several foreign journalists were knocked to the ground – as “a gross violation of Chinese government rules”.

On Thursday the FCCC said it was concerned about the alleged assault on the South Korean photojournalist and it had received several reports in 2017 about resident journalists also being subjected to violence while reporting in China.

“Violence against journalists is completely unacceptable, and the FCCC calls on the Chinese government to investigate and address the incident,” the group added.

Yonhap said South Korea’s presidency, the Blue House, had filed a protest with Beijing and was demanding a formal apology.

A Blue House official said an initial investigation suggested the guards had been hired by the South Korean organisers of the trade fair but were “under the leadership of the Chinese police”.

In a statement the Korea Press Photographers Association (KPPA) asked: “Is this Chinese-style etiquette to invite guests and beat them up in your living room?”

In October Xi kicked off his second five-year term with a brief statement to the media, from which a number of major international outlets including the Guardian were excluded in apparent retribution for their critical coverage of his country. Xi said he encouraged journalists to visit and report on China.



However, China currently occupies the 176th place in the annual World Press Freedom index compiled by Reporters Without Borders. Only two countries fare worse: Syria and Turkmenistan.



A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry told reporters on Thursday: “If someone is hurt, of course we are concerned about that.”

“We hope it’s just a minor incident,” Lu Kang added, according to AFP.