A South Korean TV station that did not end up airing the tape they filmed of a man jumping off a bridge on Friday has sparked controversy over the ethics of journalism.

The day before, the South Korean man had said online that he planned to jump off a bridge into the Han River to raise 100 million won ($89,808) to cover debts owed by his men's right advocacy group. His "warning" prompted KBS TV reporters to the scene, where they filmed it all.

The reporters are being blamed for wrongly encouraging the man - whose body has yet to be located - as they were there but did not try to dissuade him, an act punishable by up to 10 years in jail, according to South Korean law.

But the reporters said that they had arrived too late to stop him and had earlier reported the case to the police.

Global Times