KOTRA expresses regret over journalist beating in China

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's trade promotion agency expressed regret Sunday over Chinese security guards' beating of two Korean journalists at a business forum and vowed to cooperate with Chinese authorities to get to the bottom of the incident.

On Thursday, Chinese security guards beat and injured two South Korean photojournalists who were covering the event hosted by the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) in Beijing, which was attended by President Moon Jae-in hours before his summit with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

"As a host agency, we regret the violence against the South Korean journalists," KOTRA said in a statement. "We feel sorry for causing concerns to people with this incident, which could undermine the outcome of the presidential visit and diplomatic efforts between the two nations."

The two injured journalists returned to Seoul earlier in the day and were taken to a local hospital for further treatment.

KOTRA said it signed a contract with a Chinese security company to cover the event and the staff were under the control of Chinese police at the time of the incident. The agency said it has been cooperating with local authorities to investigate the case.

"We have demanded the Chinese security company verify facts related to the incident, while separately operating a team to handle the case," KOTRA said. "We have requested the security company provide documents, and we will take appropriate measures in accordance with the probe results."

ejkim@yna.co.kr
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