Ruling party vows to handle media reform bills this week

SEOUL, July 19 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party (GNP) has set Sunday
as the "final deadline" for negotiations with the main opposition Democratic
Party (DP) on a set of disputed media reform bills, a ranking GNP official warned
Sunday.
"Today is the deadline for negotiations," the GNP's floor leader, Ahn Sang-soo,
said during a meeting of GNP lawmakers at the National Assembly.
Unless a compromise is reached within the day, Ahn said, his party will ask
Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o, a former GNP lawmaker, to invoke his authority and
call a vote on the bills.
Ahn's stern warning immediately raised concern about violent physical clashes
between lawmakers of the rival parties, as the DP is vehemently opposed to the
reform bills.
The conservative ruling party claims that the bills, centered on lifting a ban on
cross-ownership of print media and television stations, would promote competition
in the media industry, whereas the DP argues the reform drive reflects a
conservative push to control the media and will only benefit the country's major
conservative newspapers.
The rival parties have been at odds over the media reform bills for over eight
months.
The GNP appears pressed for time, as the ongoing extraordinary parliamentary
session will end on July 25. The next regular session will open in September.
"Whether a deal (with the opposition party) is reached or not, I will make every
effort to handle the media bills tomorrow. We can't wait indefinitely." Ahn said.
"I would like to put an end to the situation, concluding the eight months of
tedious strife."
His comments were apparently intended to ratchet up pressure on the DP, which is
worried about the possibility that the GNP might use their majority power to
railroad through the bills with the help of the National Assembly speaker.
The GNP controls 169 seats in the 299-member unicameral house, enough to pass the
bills through voting. The DP, which holds 84 seats, has vowed to mobilize all
possible means to block the GNP from attempting to unilaterally put the bills to
vote.
More than 40 GNP lawmakers rushed onto the floor of the National Assembly and
briefly occupied the speaker's seat on Sunday.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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