Assembly passes media bills amid opposition boycott

(ATTN: UPDATES with additional details, more information from 4th para)
SEOUL, July 22 (Yonhap) -- The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a set of
disputed media industry reform bills centered on allowing newspapers and
conglomerates to own stakes in broadcasting stations, amid a boycott by
opposition lawmakers who accuse the government of attempting to rein in domestic
media organizations.

The controversial revisions to the media laws were passed in a vote only attended
by lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP), as opposition lawmakers
refused to participate in protest against the move.
GNP lawmaker Lee Yoon-sung, vice speaker of the Assembly, presided over the
balloting on behalf of Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o, who decided to invoke his
power to put the disputed bills to a vote after over eight months of bipartisan
wrangling.
Under the revised laws, newspapers and private conglomerates will be allowed to
own up to 10 percent of terrestrial TV stations, 30 percent of general
programming and content providers and 30 percent of all-news TV channels.
But newspapers with more than 20 percent of the country's total readership will
be banned from entering the broadcasting industry.
The conservative ruling party claims the reform bills will promote competition in
the media industry, whereas the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) argues the
reform drive reflects a conservative push to control the media and will only
benefit the country's major conservative newspapers.
Assembly Speaker Kim, a former member of the ruling party, earlier said he had no
choice but to call a vote on the bills as demanded by the majority of the
parliament.
"I only feel regret that it has come to the Assembly speaker using his authority
(to put the bills to vote) while the legislature is paralyzed due to the
inability of the political parties to resolve the issue," he said. Kim had to
sever his ties with the GNP when he became the speaker as required by law.
The GNP controls 169 seats in the 299-member unicameral house, compared with the
DP's 84 seats.
The passage of the bills was strongly protested by DP lawmakers, with dozens of
ruling and opposition party lawmakers and officials injured in violent clashes
before and after the controversial votes. At least one opposition legislator was
taken to hospital.
The presidential office Cheong Wa Dae refused to make an official comment on the
issue, but nevertheless appeared to be satisfied with the final passage of the
revisions, which President Lee Myung-bak earlier said will help create tens of
thousands of new jobs amid the global economic crisis.
"It was an unavoidable choice they had to make that will help create quality
jobs, improve the media industry and its competitiveness in the international
market," a Cheong Wa Dae official said, asking not to be identified.
The official said the public, too, will understand the inevitability of the
decision by the ruling party to unilaterally pass the legislation.
The main opposition party says the revisions will only undermine the independence
and diversity of news outlets as only a handful of newspapers have the financial
resources to own stakes in broadcasting companies. Critics also say the revisions
represent a government attempt to control the media.
bdk@yna.co.kr
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