ID :
191932
Thu, 06/30/2011 - 07:25
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/191932
The shortlink copeid
DP continues sit-in inside parliament over KBS subscription fee hike
By Kim Eun-jung
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Opposition lawmakers continued their sit-in inside the parliament for a third day Thursday in protest of the ruling party's move to pass a controversial bill on increasing subscription fees for the state-funded broadcaster KBS.
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) set up camp inside a conference room for the culture, sports, tourism, broadcasting and communications committee, taking turns around-the-clock since Tuesday to block the Grand National Party (GNP)'s attempts to approve the fee hike.
The bill calls for a 40 percent increase of KBS's monthly subscription fees to 3,500 won (US$3.20), which is expected to give a 209 billion won boost to the public broadcaster.
The subscription cost has been frozen at 2,500 won for the past three decades as fee raise attempts have been blocked by public criticism.
GNP lawmakers have supported the price increase to strengthen the public broadcaster's education and disaster programs and establish communications infrastructure in isolated areas. Opposition lawmakers have opposed the bill, raising questions of fairness in KBS reporting.
If the committee fails to submit the bill to Thursday's plenary meeting later in the day, the last of the June extra session, it remains pending until the regular assembly session, set to open in September.
DP lawmakers also ratcheted up pressure against GNP legislator Han Sun-kyo, who earlier this week disclosed conversations from the DP's closed-door meeting on how to handle the bill, raising allegations of illegal wiretapping in their meeting room.
Han denied the accusations, saying he received the minutes from a DP insider.
With the subscription fees pegged to the level set in 1981, KBS currently draws only 40 percent of its budget from the collected fees and has to depend largely on advertisers for the rest.
The parliament voted down a 2007 bill to raise KBS's license fees to 4,000 won.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, June 30 (Yonhap) -- Opposition lawmakers continued their sit-in inside the parliament for a third day Thursday in protest of the ruling party's move to pass a controversial bill on increasing subscription fees for the state-funded broadcaster KBS.
Lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) set up camp inside a conference room for the culture, sports, tourism, broadcasting and communications committee, taking turns around-the-clock since Tuesday to block the Grand National Party (GNP)'s attempts to approve the fee hike.
The bill calls for a 40 percent increase of KBS's monthly subscription fees to 3,500 won (US$3.20), which is expected to give a 209 billion won boost to the public broadcaster.
The subscription cost has been frozen at 2,500 won for the past three decades as fee raise attempts have been blocked by public criticism.
GNP lawmakers have supported the price increase to strengthen the public broadcaster's education and disaster programs and establish communications infrastructure in isolated areas. Opposition lawmakers have opposed the bill, raising questions of fairness in KBS reporting.
If the committee fails to submit the bill to Thursday's plenary meeting later in the day, the last of the June extra session, it remains pending until the regular assembly session, set to open in September.
DP lawmakers also ratcheted up pressure against GNP legislator Han Sun-kyo, who earlier this week disclosed conversations from the DP's closed-door meeting on how to handle the bill, raising allegations of illegal wiretapping in their meeting room.
Han denied the accusations, saying he received the minutes from a DP insider.
With the subscription fees pegged to the level set in 1981, KBS currently draws only 40 percent of its budget from the collected fees and has to depend largely on advertisers for the rest.
The parliament voted down a 2007 bill to raise KBS's license fees to 4,000 won.
ejkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
