Seoul City to File Lawsuit Against MBC Over 'Distorted and Exaggerated' Reporting on Rebar Omissions

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced today (June 16) that it plans to file a civil lawsuit against MBC, claiming the broadcaster's reports regarding rebar omissions in the construction of the Great Train Express (GTX)-A line were distorted and exaggerated.
Seoul City informed the media today that it "intends to file a lawsuit for a correction and damages against Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), its news director, and the reporter in charge, for reports that caused significant public misunderstanding and confusion by distorting and exaggerating the facts regarding construction errors in the Yeongdong-daero Complex Development project."
The city explained, "As the commissioning agency, the Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters deeply feels the responsibility for the construction company's errors. Upon being notified by the contractor, we immediately conducted on-site safety inspections, finalized reinforcement plans, and shared these measures with higher authorities."
The city added, "We have continuously communicated with the public by holding press briefings and distributing press releases to ensure a thorough investigation into the truth."
Furthermore, the city claimed, "MBC aired a total of 76 reports on this incident between May 15 and June 3. Beyond simple criticism of municipal administration, they repeatedly reported that the city intentionally covered up and ignored the construction errors, which severely damaged trust in Seoul's municipal government."
Regarding MBC's report that "Seoul City and Mayor Oh Se-hoon are responsible for the construction and supervision," the city explained, "According to the bidding notice, the actual entity for the project's demand and contract procurement is the Seoul Metropolitan Infrastructure Headquarters, while construction is carried out by the contractor and supervision is performed by a responsible supervisor."
The city also refuted MBC's report that "rebar omissions could be the cause of cracks on the fifth basement floor," stating, "This does not align at all with the results of the joint inspection by advisory committees from Seoul City and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in January of this year, nor the emergency safety inspection in May. No cracks were found in the columns on the fifth basement floor."
In addition, regarding MBC's use of phrases such as "Seoul City keeping its mouth shut" and "Seoul City feigning ignorance," the city pointed out, "The city consistently sent relevant reports to the Korea National Railway from November of last year to January of this year, following proper procedures, yet the broadcaster used provocative language."
Seoul City emphasized, "We express strong regret over acts that infringe upon the public's right to know through provocative headlines not based on facts and irresponsible, suspicion-raising reporting," adding, "We will hold them strictly accountable through legal means to resolve public anxiety and restore trust in municipal administration."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.