2018 FIFA World Cup: Viral Video of South Korean Journalist Kissed by Female Russian Fans on Live TV Spark Debates in China
Once again, a video clip is going viral when two female Russian fans kissed a South Korean man during the live coverage of 2018 FIFA.
Harassment remains significant across the globe despite numerous efforts in increasing awareness against it. As the World Cup fever is on, it seems that such challenges among TV journalists during live reporting are increasing. Once again, a video clip is going viral when two female Russian fans kissed a South Korean man during the live coverage of 2018 FIFA. And the incident has sparked debate among social media users in China whether it is a case of ‘sexual harassment’ or not.
Jeon Gwang-ryeol, an MBN South Korean TV channel reporting was broadcasting the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia on June 28. In the video, it can be seen that the journalist was being kissed twice by female Russian fans. This event occurred days after a couple of episodes of male fans trying to kiss female reporters live on TV. The South Korean reporter tried to laugh but looked embarrassed. This sudden burst of affection has outraged netizens on social media in China.
Watch the video of South Korean journalist kissed by two Russian female fans during on live TV.
Weibo, China’s largest social networking site witnessed arguments with users asking why the recent incident was not being criticised in the same way as their male counterparts. It is the replica of previous controversies which emerged in Russia that involved female journalists being kissed by fans. One of the users wrote, “It is a very sharp contrast with the previous news.” While other users claimed that the response to this event shows that inequalities still exist.
One person wrote sarcastically, “If it's a good looking person (kissing), it’s not called sexual harassment.” BBC reported that while the current incident created a huge debate in China, South Korea did not really pay much attention to it apart from only MBN and it's affiliated media outlets who covered the story. With each passing day, the FIFA World Cup is unveiling many stories and cases of sexual assault being the major one. Well, we only hope that no one else forces themselves on any news reporter irrespective of their gender in any of the upcoming World Cup.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2018 09:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).