South Korea's ruling party withdrew personal criticism of a Bloomberg News reporter for writing an article about President Moon Jae-in, after international press groups warned the remarks threatened journalistic freedom and demanded a retraction by the party.
The Democratic Party of Korea removed from a statement posted on its website last week language mentioning the reporter's name and describing the Sept. 25 Bloomberg article about Moon's North Korean policy as "almost like treason." The move came days after journalists' organizations said that the comments had resulted in serious threats to the reporter's personal safety.
"We would like to apologize to foreign journalists within South Korea, if we have caused any misunderstandings," party spokesman Lee Hae-sik said in a statement Tuesday. "We do acknowledge that our rough expressions, due to a lack of knowledge and virtue, could have caused some discomfort for the reporter, and depending on the person, it could have provided a psychological shock."