A team of BBC journalists, including an Irish producer, have returned to China after being expelled from North Korea for reporting “distorted facts and realities” during an historical congress in Pyongyang.
The North Korean leadership was unhappy with the British broadcaster’s coverage of the first Workers’ Party congress in 36 years, including references to leader Kim Jong-un as “corpulent”.
“Thanks for all the messages, but we’re not doing any interviews at the moment. We still have another BBC team in Pyongyang,” said Irish producer Maria Byrne.
Ms Byrne, cameraman Matthew Goddard and correspondent Rupert Wingfield-Hayes were held for eight hours by North Korean officials and made to sign a statement.
The BBC team was in North Korea ahead of the Workers’ Party Congress, accompanying a delegation of Nobel prize laureates conducting a research trip.
At the congress in the April 25th House of Culture, Mr Kim reiterated his policy of “byeongjin”, which calls for developing the country’s nuclear programme and its economy at the same time.
At a news conference on Monday, a North Korean government spokesman said Mr Wingfield-Hayes and his colleagues had been “speaking very ill of the system”.
A BBC spokesman said: “We are very disappointed that our reporter Rupert Wingfield-Hayes and his team have been deported from North Korea after the government took offence at material he had filed.
Mr Wingfield-Hayes’ colleague in Pyongyang, John Sudworth, said there was “disagreement, a concern over the content of Rupert’s reporting”, including questioning the authenticity of a hospital.
North Korea granted visas to 128 journalists from 12 countries. Their movements have been closely managed and they have yet to get into the congress.
