Michael Breen (author)
Encyclopedia
Michael Breen is an author
and journalist
covering North
and South Korea
. He has a regular newspaper column in The Korea Times
, an English-language daily in South Korea.
and first began living in South Korea in 1982. He has covered North and South Korea for several newspapers including The Guardian
and the Washington Times. In 1994, he became a management consultant specializing in North Korea, with clients such as Coca-Cola
. He entered the public relations
field in 1999 as the managing director of Merit/Burson-Marsteller. where he remained until 2004. He is now president of Insight Communications Consultants, a public relations firm. Breen was made an honorary citizen of Seoul
in 2001.
A former follower and biographer of the controversial Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon
, Breen said in a 2005 American Prospect story to have brokered talks in the early 1990s between Moon
and the North Korean leadership, laying groundwork for a visit by the staff of Moon's Washington Times. Breen has also authored a church-approved biography of Moon, Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years.
, an English-language daily in South Korea, where he comments on Korean society, culture, and political issues. In December 2009, Breen wrote a satirical column in the paper which lampooned various South Korean public figures, including president Lee Myung-bak
, entertainer Rain, and Samsung
. Displeased with Breen's allusions to their corruption and arrogance, Samsung sued him and the paper for libel; the paper was later dropped as a respondent, but the suit against Breen himself remained.
, for $1 million, claiming criminal defamation over a satirical column published on Christmas Day 2009. Samsung dropped the charges following the correction and Michael Breen's apology.
The Korea Times issued this apology:
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
covering North
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. He has a regular newspaper column in The Korea Times
The Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
, an English-language daily in South Korea.
Career
Breen is a graduate of the University of EdinburghUniversity of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and first began living in South Korea in 1982. He has covered North and South Korea for several newspapers including The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
and the Washington Times. In 1994, he became a management consultant specializing in North Korea, with clients such as Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
. He entered the public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
field in 1999 as the managing director of Merit/Burson-Marsteller. where he remained until 2004. He is now president of Insight Communications Consultants, a public relations firm. Breen was made an honorary citizen of Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
in 2001.
A former follower and biographer of the controversial Unification Church leader Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon is the Korean founder and leader of the worldwide Unification Church. He is also the founder of many other organizations and projects...
, Breen said in a 2005 American Prospect story to have brokered talks in the early 1990s between Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
and the North Korean leadership, laying groundwork for a visit by the staff of Moon's Washington Times. Breen has also authored a church-approved biography of Moon, Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years.
Newspaper column
As of May 2008, Breen has a featured column for The Korea TimesThe Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
, an English-language daily in South Korea, where he comments on Korean society, culture, and political issues. In December 2009, Breen wrote a satirical column in the paper which lampooned various South Korean public figures, including president Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak
Lee Myung-bak is the President of South Korea. Prior to his presidency, he was the CEO of Hyundai Engineering and Construction and the mayor of Seoul. He is married to Kim Yoon-ok and has three daughters and one son. His older brother is Lee Sang-deuk, a South Korean politician. He attends the...
, entertainer Rain, and Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
. Displeased with Breen's allusions to their corruption and arrogance, Samsung sued him and the paper for libel; the paper was later dropped as a respondent, but the suit against Breen himself remained.
Michael Breen lawsuit
On December 25, 2009, Michael Breen wrote a controversial column that was meant to be satire. Breen depicted Samsung offering gifts to politicians, and also depicted Korean singer Rain as "Pee" although this was also a spoof-pronunciation by the older British singer Susan Boyle, and meant to make fun of Boyle and not Rain. However, the reference was interpreted by Koreans to mean something offensive about Rain himself. Further, the South Korean media mis-interpreted the entire column as an insult to Korea itself. On December 29, 2009, Samsung sues Mike Breen and the Korea TimesThe Korea Times
The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language newspapers published daily in South Korea, along with The Korea Herald and The JoongAng Daily. It is part of the same newspaper group as Hankook Ilbo, a major Korean language daily...
, for $1 million, claiming criminal defamation over a satirical column published on Christmas Day 2009. Samsung dropped the charges following the correction and Michael Breen's apology.
The Korea Times issued this apology:
Published works
- Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years. Refuge Books, 1999.
- Kim Jong-Il: North Korea's Dear Leader. John Wiley and Sons, 2004. ISBN 978-0470821312.
- The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future LiesThe Koreans (book)The Koreans: Who They Are, What They Want, Where Their Future Lies is a non-fiction book by journalist Michael Breen. It was first published in 1998 by Thomas Dunne Books.-External links:*...
. St. Martin's Griffin, 2004.
External links
- ABC News
- Bio page at Insight Communications Consultants
- Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years (unification.org) Full text of Reverend Moon biography, on Unification Church website