[Hankyoreh, September 17 2008] S. Korea asks media for restraint in reports about Kim Jong-il

Gov’t appears worried about upsetting inter-Korean relations, and is perhaps hoping to evade responsibility for its own speculative reports

The government has taken the unusual step of asking the news media to refrain from speculations about North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s health.


“The government is of the view that the reporting of unconfirmed facts does not help inter-Korean relations,” said Unification Ministry spokesman Kim Ho-nyoun in a press conference on September 16.