South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said that press freedom carries responsibility, rebuking an SBS labor union statement that accused him of undermining media independence over his demand for an apology tied to past reporting on allegations of organized crime links.  Lee made the remarks in a post on X, where he shared a message by historian Jeon Woo-yong that said fabricating a criminal case for prosecution and fabricating a news report are fundamentally the same kind of wrongdoing.  The labor unions were wrong. 

     Lee also said freedom and rights should be matched by responsibility and duty,  arguing that such a principle is consistent with common sense and with theConstitution's ban on privilege. He added that freedom without responsibility can infringe on the rights of others and ultimately damage one's own freedom and rights.

     "Freedom of the press does not mean privilege for the press," Lee said. He added that if the media distort facts and spread falsehoods for political purposes while neglecting their duty to report truthfully, they should bear greater responsibility because f the broader harm caused by such reporting.        The dispute followed Lee's call for an apology from SBS investigative program "Unanswered Questions" over its 2018 report on allegations linking him to organized crime. Lee raised the issue after sharing news that Jang Young-ha, who had made the allegations, received a final guilty verdict.