Cheong Wa Dae urges China to swiftly investigate beating of S. Korean journalists

SEOUL, Dec. 17 (Yonhap) -- Cheong Wa Dae on Sunday urged China to quickly investigate Chinese security guards' beating of South Korean photojournalists during President Moon Jae-in's visit to Beijing last week, and punish those responsible.

"We call on the Chinese government to swiftly uncover truth and punish those responsible," senior presidential press secretary Yoon Young-chan told reporters. "We wish the injured journalists a quick recovery."

The violence happened Thursday when the Chinese guards blocked Korean photographers from following Moon visiting various booths at a trade fair in Beijing involving hundreds of South Korean firms and prospective Chinese buyers.

As the journalists protested the blockage, security guards took one of them outside of the venue and beat him up despite strong protests from his colleagues and South Korean officials, including those from the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae.

He was taken to a hospital and another photojournalist was also injured in an earlier incident where he was pushed back by a different group of security guards at the same venue. Both of them returned home ahead of schedule.

China has promised to investigate, but expressed no regret over an apology.
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