South Korean Politics and Elections

Government Information Agency Dismembered

Korea Times, February 29, 2008

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

The Government Information Agency, which spearheaded the controversial media policies of closing government pressrooms last year, was abolished Friday in line with the government downsizing plan, in line with Lee Myung-bak's campaign pledges. The agency was launched in 1999 under the Kim Dae-jung administration.

The role and function of the agency will be transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The function of overseas information services will remain intact, however.

Under the Roh Moo-hyun administration, the agency was enlarged thanks to what Roh called ``advanced media policy.'' However, the agency's media policy, particularly closure of the government pressrooms, faced huge criticism from the public, the media and scholars.

Officials of the agency showed a disappointing attitude over the abolition and worry over their status. Some will have to leave the government according to reorganization law.

About 360 people worked for the agency, but the information department of the ministry has a capacity for only 100 officials, which makes officials compete vigorously to enter the ministry. In particular, 133 ``contract'' officials will have to retire unless they get assigned a duty within six months.

``As of today, the agency is abolished. About half of agency officials will be transferred to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism,'' an agency official said on condition of anonymity. ``However, we haven't received any notification about the movement. Those who fail to move will just stand by.''

Another senior official said ``I feel like my workplace has disintegrated into thin air. Everyone is concerned about their status in the ministry.''

Meanwhile, each ministry, which closed down its own pressroom at the order of the agency, is planning to open the pressrooms again with consultation with the culture ministry.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr

Transition Team Under Fire for Scrutiny of Journalists

Korea Times, January 13, 2008

By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter

President-elect Lee Myung-bak's power transition team has come under fire for apparently trying to gauge the political propensity of senior journalists through an investigation.

In an apparent bid to influence news reporting, a ranking transition team official, identified only as Park, was reportedly ordered to investigate the political propensity and educational backgrounds of senior journalists at major newspaper and broadcasting companies.

Though the transition team said a director general of the committee conducted the action personally, the possibility of more members' involvement was not excluded.

A secretary of the president-elect was quoted by CBS online news, as saying, ``We found that a staff member of the transition team directed some working-level officials to collect information about senior journalists.''

The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) cast suspicion Sunday on the media policy of the coming Lee Myung-bak administration.

``If President-elect Lee is trying to trace journalists' political spectrum, this is a serious threat to a free press,'' UNDP spokesman Woo Sang-ho said.

Lee's secretary, as well as his spokesmen stressed that the president-elect was not concerned with the scheme.

But Rep. Woo of the UNDP said it was hard to believe the excuse that the practice was pushed by a low-ranking official.

In his meeting with staffers, President-elect Lee said the next government will not tolerate such practices, saying, ``It is necessary (for me and my team) to check up details.''

Last month, committee chairwoman Lee Kyung-sook said her team will push for a ``media-friendly'' policy, vowing the restoration of pressrooms at ministries closed under President Roh Moo-hyun's controversial media policy.

Apart from criticism at home, the incumbent Roh government was warned by an international association of journalists last year for infringing on media freedom.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr

Tension Mounts in Power Transition

Korea Times, January 6, 2008

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Outgoing President Roh Moo-hyun has stepped up his criticism of President-elect Lee Myung-bak's policies and his conservative platform.

In response, Lee's transition committee criticized Roh for ``still not having understood the people's judgment'' in the Dec. 19 election on the incumbent government's ``failed management of state affairs.'' Roh's five-year tenure ends on Feb. 25.

``We don't have to respond to every comment by Roh,'' transition committee spokesman Lee Dong-kwan told reporters. ``The outcome of the presidential election has already shown how the people evaluate his government's policies.''

Lee Myubg-bak of the conservative opposition Grand National Party (GNP) had a landslide victory over Chung Dong-young of the pro-government United New Democratic Party (UNDP), winning by some 5.3 million votes, the biggest margin of victory in the 20-year history of democratic elections in Korea.

The spokesman said Roh's argument on the team's ``high-handed'' attitude toward government officials was based on the wrong information and assessment of the current situation.

Roh expressed his disgruntlement Friday, arguing the transition team was focusing on disrupting policies initiated by his liberal government.

A day earlier, he strongly denounced Lee's campaign pledges to overhaul the education system and build a cross-country canal.

``The transition team is only focusing on breaking down the `Participatory Government's' policies,'' Roh said in a New Year's meeting with businessmen in downtown Seoul. ``The transition team seems to think differentiating policies from the current ones is good. But I think that's just a populism-oriented move.''

Roh warned that he would not cooperate on the transfer of state affairs unless the team stops ``rubbing salt into the wound,'' referring to Lee's request for Roh to refrain from appointing high-ranking government officials during his remaining tenure.

Earlier in the day, the President complained that Lee's team was chiding government officials who advocated policies different from those of the next government.

The harsh remarks ran counter to a pledge Roh made during his meeting with the President-elect at Cheong Wa Dae late last year.

In his New Year's message, Roh also said that the government would support the transition of state affairs in an active manner.

The transition team has announced a range of plans to revise current policies on education, the economy, real estate, North Korea and government organization, following briefings by ministries and agencies.

The committee unveiled plans to give more autonomy to universities in their selection of students in a bid to raise the education competitiveness after abolishing Roh's flagship ``three nos'' policy.

The current education policy aims to prevent universities from administering their own entrance exams, ranking high schools and accepting donations for admitting students.

Last year, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development said in a report that the policy infringes upon a college's basic autonomous rights.

The transition team has also announced growth-focused economic policies to boost the country's falling foreign investment through deregulation and more corporate incentives, a U turn from Roh's policies centered on redistribution and tax hikes.

The team announced plans to disband the Government Information Agency, which spearheaded a new media policy to close most government pressrooms, and reduce the roles of the prime minister's office and unification ministry.

Rep. Shim Jae-chul, vice floor leader of the GNP, said Roh was too arrogant and ignorant to ``read the tsunami'' of the people's judgment, apparently referring to Roh's remarks Friday that the next government's education policy would result in an ``education tsunami.''

GNP spokeswoman Na Kyung-won said, ``It's shameful that the outgoing President is indulging in backbiting the new leader's campaign pledges and policies.''

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Defense Ministry Closes Pressroom

Korea Times, December 16, 2007

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

The Defense Ministry cut electricity to its pressroom at midnight on Saturday to get reporters to leave it as part of the government's media policy.

Public relations officers of the ministry told journalists a few minutes before 12 a.m. on Sunday to move out of the pressroom, and made journalists' press cards invalid starting Dec. 16. The ministry had informed them that it would close the pressroom Saturday.

Eighteen reporters, who occupied the pressroom from Saturday night to resist the ministry's request, stayed until late Sunday, working by candlelight.

The reporters stayed in the pressroom as long as they could because once they leave the ministry they won't be able to reenter with the non-valid press cards.

A ministry official said, ``The ministry can't provide reporters with any services until they move to the new central pressroom of the ministry.'' The official added that reporters will not be able to enter the ministry until they start operating the new system.

Some reporters who requested entry to the ministry on Sunday morning were rejected.

The ministry built a new pressroom in a separate building within the ministry complex, which began operation on Nov. 1. However, the press corps of the ministry refused to move to the new one, saying the government's policy violated freedom of the press.

President Roh Moo-hyun has sought what he calls media reform by creating a central pressroom after closing all other government pressrooms. He wants to abolish the press corps system where each ministry or agency runs its own pressroom.

However, journalists, scholars and politicians at home and abroad opposed the media policy. Most presidential candidates have promised to restore the pressroom system if elected.

The National Police Agency in Seoul closed its pressroom on Wednesday night. In-mid October, pressrooms of the foreign affairs and trade, education and human resources development, unification, and information and communication ministries were closed.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr

‘Politainers’ Speak Out Again in 2007 Election

Korea Times, November 28, 2007

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

When American politics scholar David Schultz coined the term ``politainer'' in 1999, he meant a hybrid of a politician and an entertainer will represent the image politics in the media-dominating era because he predicted politicians' image will matter much more than their policies thanks to the media's influence.

The politainer is defined as a politician who is or was an entertainer, or a politician who makes extensive use of the entertainment media, particularly during a campaign, according to the online dictionary Word Spy. Here in Korea the word also covers entertainers who join a political campaign.

Schultz's prediction was valid in the 2002 presidential election and seems to be relevant in the 2007 election too as lots of entertains began openly supporting certain candidates.

Actors Moon Sung-keun and Myung Gye-nam were the perfect examples of Korean politainers who successfully played an important role in gaining support for then candidate Roh Moo-hyun during the 2002 presidential race.

They made rare speeches as actors in an aggressive way for Roh, which sometimes went under fire from the opposition.

Myung once said during a campaign, ``Entertainers who support the New Millennium Democratic Party (Roh ran for the presidency on its ticket) are entertainers of sense but entertainers who support the Grand National Party (GNP) are those of nonsense.''

Politainers in 2007

Who are the politainers in the 2007 election?

Presidential candidate Lee Myung-bak of the conservative opposition GNP is on top of the politainer ranking.

So far, some 80 entertainers declared their support for the former Seoul mayor. Well-known entertainers among them are actors such as Baek Il-sup, 63; Yu In-chon, 56; Lee Duk-hwa, 55; Chung Hung-chae, 44 and MC Lee Sang-yong, 63.

Those entertainers joined Lee's camp since Lee was competing with former GNP Chairwoman Park Geun-hye to become the party's standard-bearer several months ago.

For example, Chung appeared in public more than 10 times whenever Lee made speeches.

But the entertainers were cautious about their support of Lee because it reflected negatively on their entertainment careers.

They say that they are supporting Lee not because they want something in return but because they think Lee is the right person to become President.

Yu once told reporters that he supports Lee because of his personal relations with the former Hyundai CEO. But Yu made it clear that he didn't want his support for Lee to be interpreted as politainer activities.

Female entertainers supporting Lee include actress Eum Aeng-ran, 73; Sa Mi-ja, 67; and Yeo Un-gye, 67.

Some of Lee's politainers spoke out so much against other candidates that they came under media spotlight.

About two weeks ago, Baek said, ``Independent candidate Lee Hoi-chang deserves beating up to the death. Lee Hoi-chang should be careful when walking in the street at night because he may be beaten up.''

Though Baek regretted saying that, his remarks brought huge controversy of whether it is appropriate for entertainers to support or oppose a certain politician.

Meanwhile, few entertainers declared their support for other candidates.

``No entertainer has yet declared their support for Chung Dong-young, candidate of the United New Democratic Party (UNDP). But we plan to ask for some help from entertainers who personally know Chung,'' a UNDP official said. ``But we can't tell the names of the entertainers now.''

Probably one backer in the official's mind is singer Cho Young-nam, 62 because he, longtime friend of Chung, already showed up to sing a song during a ceremony of Chung's book release in May. But Cho reportedly refused to join the Chung's camp.

History of Politainers in Korea

The first politainer in Korea was actor Hong Seong-wu who became lawmaker in 1978 as the first entertainer-turned-politician and served three terms. Lee Dae-yeop, movie star in the 1950s-1970s, also served as lawmaker three times beginning in 1981.

The politainer politics calumniated at the 14th National Assembly from 1992 to 1996 when four famous entertainers took the Assembly seats.

They were actors Lee Soon-jae and Choi Young-han (nicknamed Choi Bul-am), actress Kang Bu-ja and comedian Lee Joo-il.

However, recent politainers are short-lived compared with other politicians as all failed to serve as lawmakers twice since 1990s.

Though the number of entertainer-turned-politicians is relatively small, the number of entertains who openly express their preference toward politicians keeps increasing.

Why Politainers?

Why are entertainers entering the political scene? The No. 1 reason is that they are effective in campaigns thanks to their popularity.

A renowned entertainers' appearance in a campaign draws attention from voters and can lead to an improved image of the politician.

There have been many examples of how well and bad entertainers were made use of during campaigns.

Actor Chung Han-young, who served as lawmaker from 1996 to 2000, repeatedly said in interviews with news media that Lee Hoi-chang failed to win the two presidential elections in 1997 and 2002 because he didn't know how to use entertainers for his campaign.

For example, pop group DJ DOC's campaign song for then candidate Kim Dae-jung in 1997 was a success while the former prime minister didn't have such singers, according to Chung.

Not only politicians but also entertainers also make use of politainer activities.

It is because entertainers may get benefits if a candidate they support is elected President. The first minister of culture and tourism under Roh administration was movie director Lee Chang-dong, who was member of a supporters' group of Roh, dubbed ``nosamo,'' during the campaign in 2002.

But entertainers can also experience the opposite scenario as seen in the case of singer Kim Hung-kuk, 48.

Kim baked Chung Mong-joon, independent candidate for the 2002 presidential election who later gave up the run and declared his support for Roh.

But when Chung canceled his support for Roh a day before the Dec. 19, 2002 election, Kim also suffered criticism due to the sudden change in Chung's support.

The singer returned to the entertainment scene six months after the election.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr

Former President Chun Directed Oppression of Buddhist Monks in 1980

Korea Times, October 25, 2007

By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter

Former President Chun Doo-hwan ordered a brutal crackdown on Buddhist monks in the early 1980s to remove the administrative head of the Korean Buddhist Jogye Order, who the Chun government considered a dissident, a government fact-finding panel reported Thursday.

Chun has denied he was involved in the case, dubbed the ``Oct. 27 incident.''

The committee at the Ministry of National Defense also revealed Chun's authoritarian government set the professional qualifications for journalists as part of efforts to take control of the country's media in the 1980s.

On Oct. 27, 1980, the Chun administration mobilized more than 3,200 police and soldiers to search 5,731 temples nationwide and arrested more than 150 monks, according to the report.

The panel said the Chun government had made a secret report on Ven. Wolju's ``corrupt activities'' before the massive crackdown. Head monks of large temples in the country were referred to in the classified report as ``gangs.''

Many of the arrested monks were tortured and forced to resign from their posts, the panel said. Wolju also was forced to step down.

Torture methods included beatings, water torture, electric shock and sleep deprivation, it said.

``It is a typical power abuse case aimed at oppressing a specific religious order,'' the panel said, adding the Korean government should apologize for the wrongdoings and compensate the Jogye Order for damages.

In 1988, Prime Minister Kang Young-hoon apologized for the incident, but it was made without a proper investigation into the case, the panel said.

Meanwhile, the report reconfirmed the Chun regime's considerable control and surveillance over the media.

News agencies were absorbed into a single agency, while numerous provincial newspapers were closed and newspapers in Seoul were forbidden to station correspondents in provincial cities, it said.

Two broadcasting companies were forced to be absorbed into the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS).

The Defense Security Command, and the Ministry of Culture and Information ordered hundreds of ``dissident journalists'' fired and banned from reporting or editing, the panel said.

The dismissed journalists were then categorized into several classes, and limitations were placed on their reinstatement in accordance with their ``wrongdoings,'' such as ``pro-North Korean activities, articles against government policies, irregularities, incompetence and negligence of duty,'' according to the committee.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr

Government Starts to Shut Down Pressrooms

Dong-A Ilbo, October 12, 2007

The government cut off Internet access to pressrooms situated in 11 government departments and offices in the government complex in Sejongno, Seoul, including the one in the prime minister`s office, as part of its so-called Advanced Media Support System.

The government also said that it will block the entrance of reporters to the pressrooms at each government ministry starting Wednesday.

Conflicts between the government and journalists are getting worse as correspondents at government ministries, who have refused to move into a new press center, plan to continue to enter the pressrooms regardless of the government’s ban. Journalists, who held emergency meetings at each ministry that day, reconfirmed their original position of refusing to move to joint briefing centers and rejecting the Advanced Media Support System, which has been unilaterally decided by the government.

“Despite opposition from the media, civil organizations, academia and political groups, the government has pushed ahead with its measure and cut off the Internet and telephone lines in the pressrooms. This is an act of violence against democracy that threatens the people’s right to know and the media`s watchdog role,” correspondents at nine government ministries in the government complex in Gwacheon said in a joint statement on Thursday.

Meanwhile, correspondents at some ministries, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said that they would write their articles in the lobby of the government complex if their pressrooms are completely closed.

Each government ministry cut off Internet access to pressrooms on Thursday morning at the request of the Government Information Agency. In the case of the pressroom at the Ministry of Construction and Transportation in the government complex at Gwacheon, both Internet and telephone lines were cut off.

The information agency said that construction to change existing pressrooms to offices will begin early next week.

“Today, we did not block the entry of reporters to give them time to remove their personal belongings. However, their entry will be difficult starting tomorrow morning. Reporters must accept reality and respond in a practical manner,” an official of the agency said.

“Although the journalists are against the government measure cutting off Internet access to the existing pressrooms, the government will continue to implement its scheduled measures,” Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said in a regular press briefing yesterday.

Newspapers Group Slams Pressroom Closure

Korea Times, August 26, 2007

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

The Korean Association of Newspapers issued a statement Friday protesting the government's plan to close most of its pressrooms. The association urged the government to cancel the plan immediately.

It said the government is trying to oppress the press by forcibly implementing what it calls its ``advanced press support system'' despite strong opposition from the media, politicians and civic groups.

The associated categorized the plan a form of oppression which didn't exist even under the authoritarian regimes of former presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan.

It said, ``We feel anger at the move by the current government, which claims to be the participatory government.''

According to the statement: `` The government is to close the pressrooms and let the Government Information Agency issue press cards to journalists, which would prevent reporters' face-to-face meeting with public servants and block their coverage. The move is seen as the government's effort to distance the press.''

``Moreover, journalists have to stay in their newsbeat, covering important issues day and night such as the second inter-Korean summit on Oct. 2-4 and the Korean hostages held by the Taliban in Afghanistan. If the government forcibly implements its plan at this moment while reporters work on these sensitive issues, it will face severe opposition from the people,'' it added.

It noted that the public has the right to clearly know the whole process of how a government policy is formulated.

The association urged the government to stop its plan to deprive the people of their right to know and to hold government officials who made the anachronistic and undemocratic measures accountable.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr

GNP Plans to Disband Information Agency

Korea Times, August 23, 2007

By Yoon Won-sup
Staff Reporter

The main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) Thursday reiterated its demand that an agency in charge of implementing the closure of government pressrooms be abolished.

The conservative party said if it wins the upcoming presidential election, it will disband the Government Information Agency (GIA).

GNP Chairman Rep. Kang Jae-sup said his party will submit a bill to dismantle the GIA to the National Assembly session that opens in September.

If the GNP fails to legislate the bill, the party will try to restructure government organizations to remove the agency, Kang said.

``The GNP is putting its priority on protecting the pressrooms,'' Kang said. ``If the Roh Moo-hyun administration forcibly closes them, we will restore the current pressrooms when we win the presidential election.''The election is slated for Dec. 19.

Lee Myung-bak, presidential nominee of the GNP, also criticized the government's plan and pledged to bring back the existing pressroom system if he is elected president.

``We see the pressrooms closure from a different viewpoint than the incumbent government,'' Lee said. ``We should protect the people's right to know because we are living in an open society, not a closed one.''

Lee urged again President Roh to drop his plan to shut down most of the pressrooms. If not, Lee said he will reopen the pressrooms when he becomes president.

A group of GNP lawmakers visited pressrooms of the Ministry of Construction and Transportation, the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Financial Supervisory Service to gather opinions from reporters there who also oppose the closure.

Following the visit, the legislators, who belong to the Culture and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, criticized government officials implementing the GIA policy. The Assembly panel is scheduled to convene today to discuss the issue.

The government plans to close most of its pressrooms and move reporters out of them. In their place, the government wants reporters to move to centralized pressrooms in the Government Complexes in Seoul and Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province.

The government also plans to provide electronic briefings in order to enhance transparency and save time. However, reporters see them as ineffective because it will be hard to have interactive briefings.

Reporters will only be allowed to stay in the central pressrooms and have to get permission to enter any government agency, according to the plan. They are worried that their access to government officials will be severely blocked.

The press corps of several ministries have collectively voiced their opposition to the plan, saying it violates freedom of expression and the people's right to know.

yoonwonsup@koreatimes.co.kr

GNP Opposes Pressroom Closure

Korea Times, August 22, 2007

By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter

The main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) Wednesday intensified its discord against the Roh Moo-hyun administration's plan to close most of the government pressrooms.

A group of 10 lawmakers of the conservative party made an on-site inspection of pressrooms at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the National Police Agency to protest the plan. Journalists have also opposed the plan.

Following the inspection, the legislators, who belong to the Culture and Tourism Committee of the National Assembly, criticized government officials for seeking to close the pressrooms.

The Assembly panel is scheduled to convene Friday.

``The government's media policy has gone too far. The GNP will stand up against the measure,'' Kim Hyong-o, floor leader of the party, said.

Kim went on, ``The government has closed the pressrooms and directed government officials not to have a face-to-face meeting with journalists. The government even used budget to put the malpractice in place.''

Outspoken presidential hopeful Chough Soon-hyung of the Democratic Party (DP) joined the forces.

He said the pressroom closure is an outdated and retroactive measure, which would have been put in place two decades ago under an authoritarian government.

Chough described the plan as malpractice working against the right of information access.

He urged the government to scrap the plan and bring freedom of the press back to journalists.

Under the plan, only officials at the Government Information Agency (GIA), who are in charge of the issuance of press cards and reporters will be allowed to stay in the pressrooms. They are required permission to enter any government agencies.

Journalists took collective action against the closure Tuesday, urging the government to retain the existing pressrooms.

In a message to the GIA, they also demanded that reporters be allowed to hold face-to-face meetings with government officials.

hkang@koreatimes.co.kr