Su Chii-cherng
Su Chii-cherng | |
|---|---|
蘇啟誠 | |
 | |
| Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Osaka | |
| In office July 8, 2018 – September 14, 2018 | |
| Succeeded by | Zhang Renjiu (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 1, 1957 Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan |
| Died | September 14, 2018 (aged 61) Toyonaka, Japan |
| Cause of death | Suicide by hanging |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession | Diplomat |
Su Chii-cherng (Chinese: 蘇啟誠; pinyin: Sū Qǐchéng; August 1, 1957 – September 14, 2018) was a Taiwanese diplomat who notably worked for the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), Taiwan's de facto embassy in countries which have recognised the Chinese government. He took over as the director of TECO's branch in Osaka on July 8, 2018. On September 14 of the same year, he committed suicide by hanging in his home in Toyonaka at the age of 61, allegedly in response to criticism of the office's response to Typhoon Jebi amplified by pro-China disinformation.
Life and career
[edit]Su Chii-cherng was born in Zhuqi Township, Chiayi County.[1] In June 1979, he graduated from Soochow University with a bachelor's degree from the Department of Japanese Language and Literature. In June 1981, he received a master's degree from the Graduate Institute of Japanese Language and Literature at the Chinese Culture University.[1] In 1985, he went to Japan to study at the Graduate School of Japanese Language and Literature at Osaka University, and was awarded a second master's degree there in April 1988.[2]
Su began working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs beginning in 1991. In 1995, he became the Third Secretary of TECO in Japan. In 2007, He also previously served as the deputy secretary-general at TECO, and in 2011 worked as deputy director-general of the Department of Asia, East and Pacific Affairs within the ministry.[3] In December 2013, he moved to Naha City in the Okinawa Prefecture of Japan to serve as director of the Naha Branch of TECO.[4]
In March 2018, Su Qicheng visited Ishigaki Island and briefly described the history of Taiwanese immigration to the island.[5] While serving in Naha, he regularly contributed articles to Japanese media in four and a half years, publishing 40 articles speaking out for Taiwan and promoting exchanges between Taiwan and Japan.[6] Su transferred to the Osaka branch to serve as its director on July 8, 2018.[clarification needed]
Suicide
[edit]On September 4, 2018, Typhoon Jebi hit Japan. Kansai International Airport, which was built on reclaimed land, suffered heavy flooding. Additionally, high winds blew an oil truck into the only bridge,[7] damaging it. Ultimately, approximately 3,000 passengers became stranded in the airport terminal.[8] On September 5, Japanese officials began rescue efforts, sending ships and buses to carry passengers out of the airport. Passengers from mainland China were taken to designated transfer stations, such as the parking lot of a shopping mall in Izumisano. Subsequently, the Chinese consulate in Osaka sent a car to collect mainland Chinese passengers.
The same day, an account on Weibo in mainland China bearing the username "Storm Baby" posted messages and fake videos claiming China was sending buses to the airport to rescue mainland Chinese passengers.[9] Coverage of this fake story snowballed, eventually reaching content farm Guancha.[9] On September 6, mainstream news began to report on the story, criticising TECO's perceived lack of action relative to China. The story began to gain popularity on the PTT Bulletin Board System, with the first post made by "Qingshan", a photojournalist from mainland China.[10][9]
Another account named "GuRuGuRu" posted an article to PTT stating that there was no running water or electricity at Kansai Airport. He claimed to have taken a bus from the airport sent by the Chinese embassy, and that when he subsequently called TECO's Osaka office for help, he was treated rudely.[11][12] Other Taiwanese media outlets would report this allegation in large numbers. The scandal spread further, and the Osaka office became the target of public criticism. On September 7, there were calls from opposition members in Taiwan to hold China accountable.[10]
On September 14, Frank Hsieh arranged a review meeting on the incident. When Su failed to appear at work for the meeting, the secretary of the office visited the official residence of the director in Toyonaka and found that he had hung himself.[13][14] Following the discovery, police were informed of the death and conducted a cordon search, discovering a suicide note.[citation needed]
Aftermath
[edit]Subsequent investigation verified that the Chinese embassy had sent a car to the parking lot of the Izumisano City Shopping Center, not to the airport itself as had been claimed. Following Su's death, the police identified the "GuRuGuRu" account as belonging to a university student with the surname "You".[15] The court later ruled that he was not guilty by way of impunity.[clarification needed] Another woman, surnamed Pan, said that the account in fact belonged to her, not to You.[11][16] Later, the Taiwanese government revised several laws to increase the penalties for spreading fake news, the maximum penalty becoming being life imprisonment.[17]
Taiwanese state prosecutors investigated a social media account bearing the username "slow", which had been involved in propagating fake news about TECO. It was discovered the account belonged to Yang Hui-ru,[18] an influencer and online troll with ties to the Democratic Progressive Party.[19] Taiwanese prosecutors also alleged that Yang had operated a group chat named "Kaohsiung Group" on the Line messaging app, where she paid members NT$10,000 per month to spread false information to other online communities in an effort to sway public opinion. Much of this information was subsequently reported by the mainstream media uncritically.[19]
On December 20, 2018, 100 days after Su Chii-cherng's death, his widow accepted an exclusive interview with EBC News. She stated that only his family had read the contents of the suicide note, and that it did not directly mention pressure caused by the fake news. They specified, however, that after completing a review report assigned by his superiors a day prior to the meeting, he expressed that he "did not want to be humiliated", and that he did not want to be punished unfairly and transferred to another position.[20] She also alleged that politicians and media outlets were responsible for damage to Su's reputation, saying they had made unfair criticisms and willfully misled the public.[21]
On March 4, 2019, Japan's NHK aired a special report on the incident as a part of the news program "Close-up Gendai" (クローズアップ).[22]
External links
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 Team, Internet. "處長簡歷" [Director's Resume]. 台北駐大阪經濟文化辦事處 Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Osaka (in Chinese). Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ↑ 自由時報電子報 (September 14, 2018). "認識蘇啟誠多年 蕭美琴：優秀認真的外交官" [Hsiao Bi-Khim: "I have known Su Chii-cherng for many years - he was an outstanding, earnest diplomat"]. news.ltn.com.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "中華民國外交部全球資訊網" [Global Information Network of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China]. 中華民國外交部全球資訊網 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "日本臺灣和平基金會舉辦臺灣戰歿者慰靈祭" [Japan Taiwan Peace Foundation holds commemorative memorial service for Taiwan's war dead]. 臺灣日本關係協會 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "駐那霸辦事處蘇啟誠處長訪問石垣島" [Director Su Qicheng of the Naha Office visited Ishigaki Island]. 臺灣日本關係協會 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "【活字典蘇啓誠】處理關西災情又擔心強震區留學的女兒 他太累了嗎 -- 上報 / 焦點" [[Living Dictionary Su Qicheng] Dealing with the disaster in Kansai and worrying about his daughter studying abroad in the earthquake area. Is he too tired?]. Up Media. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "Ship smashes into Kansai airport bridge as typhoon hits Japan - The Mainichi". The Mainichi. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ↑ 中央通訊社 (September 5, 2018). "颱風燕子襲日釀11死 關西機場成孤島 | 國際 | 重點新聞" [Typhoon Swallow kills 11 in Japan and turns Kansai Airport into an island]. 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- 1 2 3 Chang, Gordon G. (December 20, 2023). "Death by disinformation - The New Criterion". Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- 1 2 "沈伯洋公布「關西機場事件真相」 批藍綠不查證假新聞 | 政治" [Shen Boyang announces "the truth about the Kansai Airport incident" and criticizes Blue and Green for not verifying fake news]. Newtalk新聞 (in Chinese). December 2, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- 1 2 "散佈關西機場謠言免罰 網友：害死一名外交官 | 社會" [No penalty for spreading rumors about Kansai Airport. Netizen: Killed a diplomat]. Newtalk新聞 (in Chinese). December 15, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ Storm.mg (September 16, 2018). "《一位外交官之死》蘇啓誠生前疑因假新聞蒙冤，曾尋求律師協助-風傳媒" ["Death of a Diplomat" Su Qicheng was suspected of being wronged due to fake news and sought the help of a lawyer during his lifetime]. www.storm.mg (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "Taiwan representative in Osaka dead by reported suicide". Associated Press. September 14, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ↑ 中央通訊社 (September 14, 2018). "蘇啓誠輕生 日本媒體關注 | 政治" [Su Qicheng commits suicide, Japanese media pays attention]. 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "法院認證PTT網友造謠 謝長廷重申沒把錯推給大阪 | ETtoday政治新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲" [The court certified that PTT netizens spread rumors. Hsieh reiterated that he did not blame Osaka]. www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). December 19, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "真的不是游姓男大生 潘女坦承關西機場po文帳號是她的│TVBS新聞網" [It’s really not a male college student with the surname You. Pan admits that the Kansai Airport post account is hers]. April 12, 2020. Archived from the original on April 12, 2020. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ TVBS. "政院修七法打假消息！ 最高可處無期徒刑│TVBS新聞網" [The Political Yuan has revised seven laws to combat fake news! The maximum penalty is life imprisonment]. TVBS (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "「卡神」楊蕙如每月發一萬給網軍下線? 爭議事件一次看！ | 政治" [Yang Huiru pays 10,000 yuan a month to the Internet army to offline? Watch the controversial events at once]. Newtalk新聞 (in Chinese). December 2, 2019. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- 1 2 "DPP ties got Yang her funding: KMT - Taipei Times". Taipei Times. December 5, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2025.
- ↑ 東森新聞. "蘇啟誠遺孀 獨家聲明稿全文｜東森新聞" [Full text of exclusive statement by Su Qicheng’s widow]. 東森新聞 (in Chinese). Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ "影／蘇啓誠遺孀直指「政治人物誤導事實」 她揭關鍵：謝長廷看的遺書哪來？ | ETtoday政治新聞 | ETtoday新聞雲" [Su Qicheng's widow pointed out that "politicians misled the facts." She revealed the key: Where did the suicide note that Hsieh Chang-ting read come from?]. www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). December 20, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
- ↑ 自由時報電子報 (March 4, 2019). "你忘了嗎？半年抽絲剝繭調查 蘇啟誠自殺NHK專題報導今登場 - 國際 - 自由時報電子報" [Did you forget it? After half a year of unraveling the investigation, NHK special report on Su Qicheng’s suicide is released today.]. news.ltn.com.tw (in Chinese (Taiwan)). Retrieved May 24, 2024.