BBC host Katty Kay denied that the media has been cheerleading for North Korea during the 2018 Olympics, but then immediately bashed Vice President Mike Pence for being too “heavy-handed” against the regime.
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A number of media outlets have written glowing stories about North Korea at the games, praising the “beauty” of the synchronized cheer squad and claiming that Kim Jong-un’s sister has been “stealing the show” and is the “Ivanka Trump of North Korea.” (RELATED: The Media Sides With North Korea Over The United States At The Olympics)
Nevertheless, Kay, who is a frequent guest on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” denied on Monday that the media has been too soft on the brutal regime.
“I think it is erroneous to suggest that anybody is supporting Kim Jong-un’s sister,” Kay said. “That’s kind of insulting to say, ‘oh well, people are being duped by this woman who is coming across.'”
“Everybody knows what the North Korean regime is like, everybody knows the family that she belongs to, and everybody respects that she has responsibility for what is going on up there as well in terms of human rights abuses,” she continued.
Kay went on, however, to accuse Pence of being too heavy-handed in how he has handled the regime.
“But when the Vice President doesn’t stand for the joint Korean team walking into the Olympic stadium, is that seen as heavy-handedness on the part of the United States?” she asked. “Are they playing into the North Korean playbook?”