Fracas over TV cover

Press, 26 September 1988, Page 21

Fracas over TV cover

NZPA-Reuter Seoul South Koreans fumed yesterday over television coverage of a boxing riot by the National Broadcasting Corporation (N.8.C.), the United States network which has sole American rights to Olympic broadcasts. Park Jun-byung, the secretary-general of the ruling Democratic Justice Party (DJ.P.), said N.B.C. was provoking resentment of South. Koreans through US' “biased news broadcasts 5 ’ disparaging the host country. He told the national news agency Yonhap that N.B.C.’s use of film from the 1950-53 Korean War and its handling of Thursday’s boxing brawl could fuel anti-Ameri-canism “which is already on the rise in Korea.” Kevin Monaghan, N.B.C.’s Olympic information director, said the criticism was “extremely unfair.” , “N.B.C. thinks very warmly of Korea. The public relations value Korea has received in the United States is unmatched. “Americans have seen a much more positive view of Korea through our telecasts.”

N.B.C. bought United States rights to Olympic coverage for more than SUS3OO million and is beaming hours of sport and news from South Korea daily into American living rooms. The controversy stemmed from a fourminute ring brawl. Fans led by South Korean boxing officials attacked the New Zealand referee, Keith Walker, with sticks and chairs after he eliminated the local featherweight hope, Byun Jong-il, on a points decision. The “Korea Herald” daily said: “N.B.C.’s reporting of Thursday’s riot in the Olympic boxing ring was so biased that many Koreans frowned upon the reporting.” It said N.B.C. had made fun of the enraged Koreans. The newspaper said it had been flooded by calls from angry citizens protesting at “the lopsided coverage of N.8.C.”