The U.S. State Department's quick revision of its report on human rights practices in South Korea is an "acknowledgement" that the report was "not accurate," a presidential official said Wednesday.

The department removed the subheading "Violence and Harassment" from a description of what happened in the wake of broadcaster MBC's release last September of what it claimed was a video of Yoon making vulgar references to U.S. President Joe Biden and Congress. Yoon accused MBC of putting national security at risk.

The removal came a day after the 2022 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released.

President Yoon Suk Yeol speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul on March 7, 2023.

In answer to a query from Yonhap News Agency, the department said the subheading was deleted because it was "not well suited" to describe the incident.

"The State Department's immediate revision of its report can be seen as an acknowledgement that the report was not accurate," the presidential official told reporters.

"There are various controversies every year after the release of the State Department's human rights report," the official said, noting that various countries appear to be making complaints.

"The reason for the controversies is that there is criticism about the lack of accuracy in the process of simply collecting and releasing what is reported by civic groups and the press in each country. This year, it appears that it was especially serious," he said.

Source: Yonhap News Agency