South Korea’s president scolds media over hot mic moment

By KIM TONG-HYUNG
Associated Press

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has accused the country’s media of damaging its alliance with the United States after a TV broadcaster released a video suggesting that he insulted U.S. Congress members following a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden in New York last week. MBC caught Yoon on tape talking to his aides and top diplomats following a brief chat with Biden on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly meetings. While the audio was unclear, the broadcaster captioned his comments as, “Wouldn’t it be too darn embarrassing for Biden if those idiots at legislature don’t approve?” Yoon’s spokesperson says he was expressing concern that South Korean and not American lawmakers could reject pledges for a fund to fight AIDS and other diseases.