Foreign ministry expresses concern about scuffles

China is concerned about scuffles between Republic of Korea journalists and Chinese security guards during a Thursday event, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Friday.

Two ROK photojournalists were injured while covering an event attended by ROK President Moon Jae-in.

The Beijing office of an ROK chamber of commerce hosted the event, Lu said, and that office invited journalists and hired security guards for the event. "But the incident happened in China, and people were injured. We are certainly very concerned," he said.

Chinese and ROK authorities exchanged views about the incident, and "we hope relevant parties will find out the truth as soon as possible," the spokesman said, adding that China will assist the investigation if needed.

Organizers of such events attended by state leaders should set out clear arrangements beforehand, Lu said, suggesting that they "strike a balance" between security and the needs of journalists to get close to their interviewees.

The organizers should make clear in the first place the rights and rules for journalists and the goals and tasks for the security guards, as well as how much freedom those guards have in handling unexpected incidents, Lu said.

The people in both countries who worked on events for Moon's visit, including media and security, all share the goal of ensuring a successful visit, Lu said, adding that all the events organized for Moon's visit, including the one on Thursday, have been successful.

More than 2,200 people attended Thursday's event, and "an overwhelming majority of them behaved strictly according to the rules", the spokesman said.