Taiwanese Anchor Mistaken for Chinese Media at Korea Protest, Defuses Crisis by Identifying as Taiwanese

TAIPEI (Central News Agency) – A dispute arose following local elections in South Korea, leading to large-scale street protests. Anchor Chang Bei-Zih flew to South Korea on the 7th to cover the protest. While conducting interviews in Mandarin, she was mistaken for a Chinese media reporter and was confronted by protesters who tried to drive her away. Chang defused the crisis by explaining she was from Taiwan.

In a press release, Chang stated that as a journalist with a background in social affairs, she is accustomed to navigating large protest scenes and managing crowd emotions and unexpected situations. However, an unexpected incident occurred during her coverage. Because she was using Mandarin for her live reports and interviews, she was mistaken for Chinese media by some protesters, drawing scrutiny and suspicion. Some even shouted, "If you are Chinese media, leave."

However, Chang, who has studied Korean, immediately identified herself as a reporter from Taiwan. The atmosphere on the scene shifted. Many South Koreans came forward to express welcome and support. More people agreed to be interviewed in Mandarin, and some even spontaneously wrote a sign in Korean and attached it to the cameraman, indicating "Taiwan media in coverage" to prevent further misunderstandings.

Reflecting on the biggest takeaway from this trip to Korea, Chang said that the most important thing for media professionals is to respect different positions and voices. Whether at a protest in Korea or Taiwan, a journalist's most crucial job is to stand at the scene, faithfully record what is happening, and accurately convey the emotions of the crowd and the nature of the event to the audience. (Editor: Li Hengshan) 1150610