hankyoreh

In a rare move, South Korean presidential hopefuls spoke with one voice Tuesday in criticizing President Roh Moo-hyun for pushing to drastically slash the number of press rooms to reform the media circle.

In a Cabinet Council meeting earlier Tuesday, President Roh approved a plan to shut down 40 press rooms installed in government offices throughout the country and reconsolidate them into three integrated ones at main government complexes. Roh's government says the plan is part of efforts to put an end to outdated reporting practices and introduce advanced systems, but critics argue that it will only result in restricting the freedom of press.

"It is not right to carry out such a thing when he is about to leave his office," Lee Myung-bak, the front-runner for December's presidential elections, said through his spokesman Park Hyun-joon.

"It shows how narrow-minded the government is toward the press," said Lee, a former Seoul mayoral affiliated with Roh's chief rival, the conservative Grand National Party (GNP). President Roh's single five-year term will end in February, and the president is barred by law from seeking reelection.

Park Geun-hye, who ranks second in opinion polls behind Lee, also lambasted the Roh government.

"Taking such measures is to limit the people's right to know, I believe," Park said. "The people have the right to know what's happening in government ministries. That will help the government have a transparent management of state affairs."

Two main presidential aspirants in the liberal Uri Party, which officially supported President Roh until it became embroiled in factional bickering several months ago, said they are also against Roh's plan.

"I am clearly against shutting down press rooms," said Chung Dong-young, a former chairman of the Uri Party. "One should not blame the press when he or she failed to earn the people's trust."

Kim Geun-tae, who also headed the Uri Party, expressed concerns saying, "It will weaken the press's role as a watchdog of the government."

Chung and Roh, the leaders of the two largest factions in the Uri Party, have recently squabbled with associates of the president in what critics say are desperate attempts to distance themselves from the lame duck leader.

Meanwhile, the GNP, the largest parliamentary bloc, said it will launch an anti-government battle about the issue during next month's parliamentary session.

"We will fight the government in July in order to push it to withdraw the plan which suppresses the freedom of the press," said Lee Joo-young, the GNP's chief policymaker.
SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap News)