An anti-Communist Chinese-American TV media 안전놀이터drew attention by expressing the situation of Son Jun-ho, who was reportedly detained by the Chinese police, as the Chinese government’s “hostage diplomacy.”
NDT TV, a Chinese TV media based in the United States, used the expression ‘hostage diplomacy’ of the Chinese government in a headline related to Son Jun-ho. Headquartered in Manhattan, New York, NDT TV is a huge broadcasting network with 300 million Chinese viewers worldwide. This media is famous as the only Chinese TV media that attempts to broadcast directly to China without censorship.
NDT TV introduced Son Jun-ho’s detention in Chinese public security and the arrest of Liang Cheng-yun, a Chinese-American living in Hong Kong around the same time, on charges of espionage.
“The CCP’s hostage diplomacy seems to be becoming more common,” said NDT TV. “We are aware that American citizens have been sentenced to prison in China for espionage charges,” US State Department spokeswoman Vedant Patel said. US citizens are being detained abroad. “The U.S. Department of State will endeavor to provide all appropriate assistance, including local consular contacts. The U.S. Department of State’s highest priority is the safety of U.S. citizens abroad,” it said. “The Chinese court has not announced specific circumstances regarding Liang Chengyun’s arrest, so it is not yet known whether there are any problems,” he said.
At the same time, he also mentioned the case of Son Jun-ho’s arrest. NDT TV reported the news to its subscribers, saying, “It has been revealed that Korean soccer player Son Jun-ho, who plays in Shandong, was detained by the Chinese police last week.” NDT TV analyzed that the arrest of Liang Cheng-yun and Son Jun-ho by the Chinese public security seems to be based on the recently revised Chinese Counterintelligence Law. In addition, “the Chinese government is not revealing who gave the ‘kickback’ or ‘bribe’ to Son Jun-ho.” NDT TV critic Tang Jingyuan said, “The Chinese government arrested a Korean soccer star (Son Jun-ho) on bribery charges. It coincided with the time when Korea resumed the US-Japan military alliance. This timing is not a coincidence, it was carefully calculated.” also said
According to the explanation of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Son Jun-ho is currently in detention for receiving an improper ‘bribe’ from a Chinese agent. However, many people have doubts about the fact that Son Jun-ho has no reason to accept the bribe. In fact, Son Jun-ho’s side also strongly insists on this fact. Like the US government trying to save Liang Chung-yun, the Korean government is also stepping out through the channels of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is said that the Korean Embassy in China is currently providing various support related to Son Jun-ho.