Britain's public broadcaster BBC said it will directly fight a damages lawsuit filed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
On the 16th, the BBC issued a statement to major foreign media, saying, "As we have made clear before, we will defend ourselves," and, "We will fight the damages lawsuit filed by President Trump."
The previous day, President Trump filed a defamation damages suit against the BBC in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking $10 billion, or about 14.7 trillion won.
The reason was that, on the eve of last year's U.S. presidential election, the BBC aired a Trump documentary that spliced together some remarks. The BBC in fact faced criticism for distorting it to make it look like he was inciting supporters.
In early Nov., the BBC said it "did not edit with malice," but acknowledged some errors and issued a public apology. Afterwards, BBC Director-General Tim Davie took responsibility and resigned.
Even so, the BBC says it cannot accede to President Trump's demand for compensation. The BBC explained, "Since President Trump won re-election, there is no basis for defamation."
Meanwhile, the British government has kept its distance from the dispute between the U.S. president and the BBC. According to Reuters, a Spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office dismissed the suit as "a matter for the BBC itself."