Media workers call legislation invalid, continue walkout against media reforms

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- Thousands of unionized workers with South Korea's
newspaper and television networks intensified their strike Thursday, a day after
the ruling party railroaded media reforms bills through the National Assembly.
Under the revised media law, large firms and major newspapers will be allowed to
own stakes in television networks, a move critics view as pro-conglomerate and
unfair to smaller firms. The bills were put to a vote by the ruling Grand
National Party (GNP) in the middle of a heavy physical clash with the opposition
Democratic Party.
Rival parties and media unionists argue the vote was invalid, citing procedural
violations. Some of the votes are suspected of having been cast by legislators'
assistants.
"The legislation is invalid as there were procedural problems," said Kim Soon-ki,
vice chairman of the National Union of Media Workers. "We will continue our
walkout and will soon reveal our future course of action."
The union was joined by thousands of workers, including those from the country's
major terrestrial TV stations MBC, SBS, KBS and EBS, in declaring an indefinite
strike Monday and warning of "grave consequences" should the reform bills be put
to a vote unilaterally.
President Lee, a former CEO and strong proponent of market principles, has been
seeking since his inauguration in February last year 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 previous media law, established in the 1980s, prohibited cross-ownership of
print media and television stations to prevent monopolies in the media industry.
Lee's GNP, which controls a majority in the 299-member unicameral house, passed
the bill Wednesday after it failed to narrow differences with its rival after
weeks of negotiations.
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 government has dismissed the criticisms and says the strike is "illegal."
"Media law revision is not an issue that is up to the management. Therefore, the
union's strike against the revision is apparently illegal," the labor ministry
said in a statement Thursday. "This strike cannot be protected by labor laws, and
participating members will face civil and criminal charges."
The culture ministry said it will explain details of the media reforms through
advertisements on KTV, a government-run policy-promotion station, beginning this
week. A similar move was previously slammed as propaganda and authoritarian by
critics.
"There is an urgent need for the general public to understand how the reforms
will help domestic media firms gain competitiveness in the global market and
enhance the overall media industry," Vice Culture Minister Kim Dae-ki told a
press briefing Thursday.
Last month, the government spent some 600 million won (US$460,000) on publishing
such advertisements in major newspapers.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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