MEDIA / REPORTING / CONTROVERSY
KANG
KYUNGYOON.
강경윤
SBS reporter Kang Kyungyoon became one of the most recognizable journalists associated with the Burning Sun scandal and the exposure of Jung Joonyoung’s KakaoTalk molka network.
SBS REPORTER • MOLKA EXPOSÉ • JOURNALISM AWARD • MEDIA ETHICS QUESTIONS
FEB 26
FIRST MAJOR REPORT / 2019
200
REPORTERS IN LEAK CHAT
8
REPORTERS CONVICTED
3 YRS
PHONE DATA ACCESS QUESTION
FEBRUARY 26, 2019
ENTERING
THE STORY.
SBS reporter Kang Kyungyoon is best known internationally for her starring role in the BBC’s Burning Sun documentary.
Her reporting on the scandal began on February 26th, 2019, when she published the article:
“[Exclusive] Big Bang’s Seungri suspected of providing sexual favors to foreign investors… KakaoTalk conversations obtained.”
PUBLIC REPUTATION
THE “FEMINIST
HERO” IMAGE.
Kang has been heavily heralded as a feminist hero for her work exposing the Jung Joonyoung KakaoTalk molka group chat scandal. Her reporting was formally recognized when she received the Journalist of the Month Award hosted by the Korean Journalists Association.
JOURNALIST OF THE MONTH
AN AWARD
UNDER QUESTION.
Kang later received criticism over that award. The Korean Journalists Association was formally asked to cancel it on the grounds that SBS Entertainment News—the internet publication Kang was affiliated with at the time—was not officially registered as an internet newspaper in 2019.
According to reporting cited by this archive, SBS Entertainment News was first registered with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on July 31st, 2023.
IMPORTANT DISTINCTION
This criticism concerned Kang’s eligibility for the journalism award and the registration status of the outlet. It is separate from the factual substance of her reporting.
MEDIA ETHICS / VICTIM PRIVACY
THE MOLKA
LEAK.
Separate from the award controversy, Kang has also faced criticism from Attorney Kim and from the family of a Jung Joonyoung victim regarding the handling of material recovered from Jung’s phone.
According to those allegations, molka files and victims’ contact information were circulated in a large KakaoTalk group consisting of reporters. Members of that group reportedly continued redistributing the material while making disparaging comments about the women depicted.
Although eight of approximately 200 reporters in that group chat were convicted for distributing molka, Kang herself was never formally investigated or indicted as the source of the leak.
THE REPORTERS’ GROUP CHAT
200
REPORTERS.
8 CONVICTIONS.
THE “GOLDEN PHONE”
WHY
2019?
Attorney Kim has also questioned the nature of Kang’s relationship with the whistleblower who provided access to the contents of Jung Joonyoung’s recovered phone.
Critics have pointed out that the whistleblower—and potentially Kang Kyungyoon—had access to the recovered data for years before the material was publicly exposed in early 2019, as the Burning Sun scandal was already dominating national coverage.
PUBLIC CRITICISM
GOO HARA.
KIM SAERON.
Further criticism followed Kang’s decision to publicly identify Goo Hara as someone who assisted her investigation. Critics pointed to Kang’s history of reporting on Goo before her death and questioned the retrospective framing of Goo as an investigative ally.
Similar criticism has emerged around Kang’s reporting on the late Kim Saeron and her coverage of Kim Soohyun. These controversies have led some netizens to question whether Kang’s public image as a feminist journalist is consistent with the broader body of her celebrity reporting.
ARCHIVE POSITION
REPORTING
THE REPORTER.
Kang Kyungyoon played a consequential role in bringing the Jung Joonyoung molka scandal into public view. That role does not place her reporting methods beyond examination. Her work, sources, handling of sensitive material, and later public portrayal remain part of the media history surrounding the scandal and are therefore documented here alongside the cases themselves.
REPORTING / DOCUMENTATION
SOURCES.
Page Last Updated:
AUG 30, 2026 7:39 PM