ID :
71385
Wed, 07/22/2009 - 08:35
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/71385
The shortlink copeid
Assembly speaker urges compromise over media bills
SEOUL, July 21 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's parliamentary chief on Tuesday said rival parties must reach a compromise and normalize legislative sessions by the end of this week, indicating he may invoke his authority and put key bills to vote regardless of objections.
With the current parliamentary session coming to an end Saturday, President Lee
Myung-bak's Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party
(DP) have been locking horns over a proposed reform bill that would allow
cross-ownership of broadcast and print media, causing weeks of deadlock in the
parliament.
"Both parties must finish their talks by tomorrow and confirm the legislation
schedule," National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o was quoted as saying by his
spokesman Heo Yong-bom. "Both parties must do their best. We don't have much time
before the session ends."
President Lee, a former CEO and strong proponent of market principles, has been
seeking since his inauguration in February 2008 to amend the nation's media law,
a move he says will spur competition between media outlets and bolster the
sectors he believes are falling behind in global trends.
The current media law, established in the 1980s, prohibits cross-ownership of
print media and television stations to prevent monopolies in the media industry.
Broadcasters and opposition parties call the plan "pro-conglomerate" because only
three right-leaning vernacular newspapers, who already control nearly 70 percent
of print media circulation, are said to have the resources necessary to enter the
television industry.
The ruling party suggested a compromise earlier Tuesday that would have
prohibited conglomerates and newspaper firms from owning terrestrial TV stations
until 2012. But DP lawmakers spurned the offer, calling it an "apparent makeshift
suggestion."
Controlling 169 seats in the 299-member unicameral house, the ruling GNP has just
enough seats to pass the bills on its own should they be put to vote without the
opposition party's consent.
The DP, which holds 84 seats, has vowed to stop the move by joining forces with
minority parties, independent parliament members and ruling party legislators who
are generally against the reform plan.
With the current parliamentary session coming to an end Saturday, President Lee
Myung-bak's Grand National Party (GNP) and the main opposition Democratic Party
(DP) have been locking horns over a proposed reform bill that would allow
cross-ownership of broadcast and print media, causing weeks of deadlock in the
parliament.
"Both parties must finish their talks by tomorrow and confirm the legislation
schedule," National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o was quoted as saying by his
spokesman Heo Yong-bom. "Both parties must do their best. We don't have much time
before the session ends."
President Lee, a former CEO and strong proponent of market principles, has been
seeking since his inauguration in February 2008 to amend the nation's media law,
a move he says will spur competition between media outlets and bolster the
sectors he believes are falling behind in global trends.
The current media law, established in the 1980s, prohibits cross-ownership of
print media and television stations to prevent monopolies in the media industry.
Broadcasters and opposition parties call the plan "pro-conglomerate" because only
three right-leaning vernacular newspapers, who already control nearly 70 percent
of print media circulation, are said to have the resources necessary to enter the
television industry.
The ruling party suggested a compromise earlier Tuesday that would have
prohibited conglomerates and newspaper firms from owning terrestrial TV stations
until 2012. But DP lawmakers spurned the offer, calling it an "apparent makeshift
suggestion."
Controlling 169 seats in the 299-member unicameral house, the ruling GNP has just
enough seats to pass the bills on its own should they be put to vote without the
opposition party's consent.
The DP, which holds 84 seats, has vowed to stop the move by joining forces with
minority parties, independent parliament members and ruling party legislators who
are generally against the reform plan.
