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Lawmaker Kang drops complaint against comedian |
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Kang Yong-seok
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By Kim Rahn
Representative Kang Yong-seok dropped a complaint against a comedian Tuesday who he had accused of having defamed lawmakers during a TV comedy show.
Officers at Yeongdeungpo Police said Tuesday that Kang, who was kicked out of the ruling Grand National Party for sexist remarks against TV announcers, submitted a written withdrawal of the complaint against the comedian, Choi Hyo-jong.
The withdrawal comes after the public strongly criticized Kang, who was previously found guilty for collectively defaming announcers with his sexist remarks.
Before submitting the withdrawal, Kang said in his blog on Sunday night that unlike his
Choi Hyo-jong
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guilty verdict in the criminal suit, a local court recently found him not guilty in a civil suit where announcers demanded he pay compensation.
Kang said earlier that he filed the complaint against Choi because if Choi is not guilty for collectively defaming lawmakers, Kang himself is not guilty either for his defamation of announcers.
“Then people may denounce me for exploiting Choi to claim my innocence. In that sense, I apologize to Choi. A few days ago, I told him that I was sorry and that I would drop the complaint. He said he wasn’t hurt,” Kang said in the blog.
The lawmaker also criticized the media, claiming they didn’t properly report his purpose of the complaint — showing “unreasonableness of the collective defamation charge” — but only made him seem like “an idiot who couldn’t distinguish comedy from documentary.”
In the weekly KBS comedy show “Gag Concert” on Nov. 2, Choi ridiculed lawmakers by saying that an ordinary person can become a lawmaker easily with fake commoner-friendly images and hollow campaign pledges.
KBS welcomed the lawmaker’s decision to drop his complaint.
“It’s fortunate that Kang has dropped the complaint. He seems to have taken into consideration the opinion of viewers,” a spokesman for the nation’s largest broadcaster said.
On last Sunday’s show which was filmed after Kang’s complaint, comedians made full counterattacks in several episodes, satirizing the situation and making fun of Kang.
In a play titled “Thank You,” comedians said they worried the viewer rating of the show might fall after another popular play closed the previous week. “But a lawmaker helped us regain the rating! Thank you!”
Another comedian said, “At the year-end award ceremony for comedians, I’d like to give the grand prize to the Mapo-based lawmaker,” referring to Kang.
Choi himself also said in a different episode, “I’ll tell you the difference between a joke and showing disrespect. A remark is a joke when said between two people, but it is disrespect when said to a large number of people. But in the latter case as well, it is a joke if nobody feels ashamed about it.”
He continued, “People ask me whether I will keep making satirical jokes. I won’t if people tell me not to. But I will if one specific person tells me not to.”
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강용석 고소 취하
무소속 강용석 의원이 개그맨 최효종에 대한 고소를 취하해 주목받고 있다.
강용석 의원은 지난 28일 자신의 블로그에 ‘강용석 특집 시청후기2 강용석이 최효종을 고소한 이유’라는 제목으로 장문의 글을 게재했다.
강용석 의원은 아나운서들이 제기한 민사소송이 24일 남부지방법원에서 기각됐음을 밝힌 뒤, “대법원 판례대로 하자면 당연한 결과지만 형사 1, 2심 결과는 정확히 반대의 결론이다”라며 “재판장은 이 사건이 인용된다면 ‘국회의원은 도둑놈이다’, ‘서울 사람들은 보수적이다’는 말까지 모욕이 돼 손해배상청구를 할 수 있다는 것인데 법리적으로 인정될 수 없다는 예시를 들면서 저의 손을 들어줬다”고 설명했다.
강용석 의원이 살아남기 위해 최효종을 이용했다는 일각의 지적에 대해 강용석 의원은 “그 점에 대해서는 솔직히 최효종 씨에게 미안하다는 말을 전하고 싶다”며 “며칠 전 (최효종에게) 그런 뜻을 알렸고 고소 취하하겠다는 말도 전했다”고 해명했다.
이어 강용석 의원은 “대인의 풍모를 갖춘 최효종씨는 ‘아무렇지도 않다’고 하더군요”라고 덧붙였다.
앞서 강용석 의원은 지난 2일 방송된 KBS2TV ‘개그콘서트-사마귀 유치원’에서 최효종이 풍자한 개그에 대해 국회의원 모욕이라며 17일 서울남부지방검찰청에 고소해 논란이 됐다.
강용석 고소 취하를 접한 네티즌들은 “강용석 고소 취하할 거면 무엇 하러 시작했지?” “강용석 자기 살려고 최효종 씨 고소한 거 누가 몰라?” “강용석 고소 취하 너무 늦었다” “개그맨들끼리 그럼 안 되는 거지” 등의 날카로운 반응을 보였다.
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rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr |
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