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The government is pushing forward with its so-called ‘Media Support Modernization Plan,’ while journalists object to the move, saying that the government’s plan is likely to infringe on the freedom of press.

On July 16, the Government Information Agency selected a preferred bidder to build a consolidated briefing room, which will shut down press clubs run by government ministries, and construct three major briefing facilities at government offices in Seoul, Gwacheon and Daejeon. The construction will start next week and is to be completed by the end of August. However, the move is expected to backfire as the Korean Journalists’ Association has said it would take legal action against the government if necessary.

The controversy started in late May after the government announced the Media Support Modernization Plan. The plans entails closing 37 press rooms at government ministries and replacing them with three briefing facilities in Seoul, Gwacheon and Daejeon, where the central government offices are based.

The plan can be viewed as the second measure taken by President Roh Moo-hyun’s administration toward changing the relationship between the press and the government. In 2003, the government took steps to open press rooms at governmental offices, which had up to that point been run almost exclusively by journalists from major newspapers and TV broadcasters, to journalists from minor papers and Internet news outlets, and to ban journalists from visiting governmental offices without prior consent.

Since his inauguration in 2003, President Roh has accused reporters at major media organizations of colluding on articles and building cozy relationships with government officials at the press clubs, or “gija-sil” in Korean. To implement media reform, the government said it would consolidate the press clubs and ban reporters from entering government offices without prior consent.

On July 10, at a ceremony marking the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the June Democratic Struggle, through which the nation won the popular presidential vote from the general-turned president Chun Doo-hwan, Roh said, “Those with a vested interest in the old days continue to collude with the media’s old guard to protest against reform and block the road to progress.” He continued, in an apparent reference to the dominant conservative media, “Having acted as the mouthpiece for the dictatorial power that blinded the eyes and deafened the ears of the people and denounced law-abiding citizens as rioters, they have reappeared on the scene as a force of their own, standing at the forefront of efforts to rattle the democracy and protect the values of the old guard. To this day, I have never heard any of them apologize to the people for their past mistakes.”

The government has, however, been unable to avoid talks with media organizations as the plan sparked strong resistance from media organizations as well as the opposition parties and civic groups. After Roh’s televised discussions with journalists on this matter on June 16, the government and four media organizations, the Korean Journalists’ Association, the National Union of Mediaworkers, the Korean Association of Broadcasting Producers and the Korean Association of Internet Media, had launched a series of four meetings before they came to an agreement on 14 provisions. The provisions call for the government to make an ordinance encouraging government officials to respond to the media and stipulates that the government will build three briefing facilities with a total of 750-seats to accommodate reporters and strengthen the system by which the media is able to access governmental information. Other measures include protection for whistle blowers and joint efforts to abolish the National Security Law, among others.

The executive body of the Korean Journalists’ Association has rebuffed the agreement, however, saying they do not appropriately reflect the voices of the reporters in the association. The association has given its renegotiating rights to a newly-formed special committee from the association.

Accordingly, the association’s special committee has demanded that the government renegotiate the agreement. In additional proposals, the committee asked the government to set up measures to punish government officials who intentionally refuse to respond to the media and provide free access without prior consent to government offices for registered journalists. The committee’s head, Park Sang-beom, said, “We don’t oppose the existing agreement. The problem is that the agreement contains no details on how the government’s plans will be executed. To overcome these limitations, we have made a new proposal.”

The government’s stance, however, is that the specific requests made by the Korean Journalists’ Association could be discussed while the facilities are being constructed. In addition, the government reportedly believes that the association’s request for renegotiation may be a tactic designed to delay construction. In contrast, the journalists’ association has urged the government to suspend construction until its requests have been addressed and an agreement has been reached. Once construction begins, the journalists’ association believes there will be little chance for renegotiation.

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]