Gov't willing to discuss media reforms with dissenters: vice minister

SEOUL, Jan. 16 (Yonhap) -- Accusing media unions of "irrationally protesting"
government plans to reform the country's decades-old media laws, the vice culture
minister said Friday the government was open to discussions.

Media reforms have been a source of heated dispute here as broadcasters and
progressive activists oppose the plan under which large firms and major
newspapers would be allowed to own television networks.
The current law prohibits cross-ownership of print media and television stations
to prevent monopolization in the media industry.
"The government is willing to discuss the plan," Vice Culture Minister Shin
Jae-min told a press briefing Friday. "What we cannot approve of is an
unreasonable objection."
Hundreds of media workers, including prominent news anchors of major broadcaster
MBC, only recently suspended their weeks-long strike after the reform bill failed
to pass the parliament.
"Not many know the specifics of the plan," he added. "The core isn't about
privatizing broadcasters including MBC. We are trying to change the law for the
sake of the freedom of the media and so that the local media industry can adapt
to global changes."
The current media laws were established in the 1980s under South Korea's then
authoritarian government.
President Lee Myung-bak, a former CEO and strong believer in market principles,
has been seeking to amend the laws since his inauguration in February last year
to spur competition between media outlets and bolster the sectors he believes are
falling behind in global trends.
Under Lee's plan, a single firm will be allowed to own a daily newspaper as well
as cable and online news channels.
Dissenters 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 enough resources to enter the television
industry.
Broadcasters accuse Lee of attempting to tame and control the media as the three
newspapers -- the Chosun Ilbo, the Joongang Ilbo and the Dong-a Ilbo -- are all
considered pro-government.
Broadcasters including MBC and KBS, meanwhile, have been at odds with the Lee
administration and have been highly critical of his market oriented policies,
which most notably led to the controversial reopening of the country's market to
U.S. beef last summer.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)