Chong-ae Lee
Chong-ae Lee is a journalist for SBS (the Seoul Broadcasting System) in South Korea, where she has worked since 1995. She was the first female investigative reporter for the news magazine program News Pursuit where she worked from 1999 to 2003. This inspired her interest in how journalists should approach a victim of trauma so as to make a positive contribution while getting a story, and conversely how the journalist can handle his/her resultant trauma. She has won 23 awards including Reporter of the Year from the Journalist Association of Korea and the Korean Broadcasting Grand Prize. She is a 2011 Dart Asia Fellow, a regional program of the Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and also a 2012-2013 Nieman Fellow at Harvard University. Since 2005, she has worked in the Future and Vision Division of the SBS Newsroom organizing the Seoul Digital Forum, an international conference on digital innovation, and on the Future Korea Report, a forum that looked into the mid and long-term agenda for Korean society. In 2018, when SBS decided to combine technology and social trends together and named the global forum SBS D Forum, she was given the position of editor and team leader of the Future and Vision team in the SBS News Headquarters, which organizes the new combined forum.
Recent Posts by Chong-ae Lee
Eight out of ten Korean journalists report work-related trauma
June 6, 2022 by Chong-ae LeeEight years after the 2014 Sewol Ferry disaster that claimed the lives of 304 passengers, Korean journalists were asked about work-related trauma in a survey developed by the Journalists Association of Korea (JAK), the Korean Women Journalists Association, the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma Asia Pacific (DCAP), and the Google News Initiative. The survey was completed by 544 journalists (62% male and 38% female). Eight out of ten had experienced work-related trauma, while nearly 30% said they had experienced trauma at work regularly.
Keeping the Promise: Lessons from the Sewol Ferry Disaster
April 7, 2017 by Chong-ae LeeIt's been three years since the Sewol ferry sunk off the coast of South Korea, leaving nearly 300 dead. As Koreans continue to struggle to comprehend this tragedy, Korean journalists are reckoning with the consequences of their own failings. Chong-ae Lee reports on lessons learned and a new tool available for journalists bearing witness to trauma.
Chong-ae Lee on Korea's National Tragedy
June 20, 2014 by Chong-ae LeeThe sinking of the Sewol ferry off the coast of South Korea in April was a tragedy felt around the world, leaving nearly 300 dead, most of them young students. As Korea struggles to comprehend the loss, Korean journalists are reckoning with the consequences of their own failings, and the trauma of bearing witness. Chong-ae Lee reports from Seoul.
The Sewol Disaster: 10 Tips From Korean Reporters
June 20, 2014 by Chong-ae LeeKorean reporters covering the Sewol ferry disaster faced challenges they were not prepared for. Here, they offer their advice and tips for colleagues on the lessons they learned, and the preparation they wish they had before facing coverage of such a tragedy. Click here to read Chong ae Lee's full report on Korea's national tragedy.
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