Cable TV workers stage strike over pay, firings

By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, March 23 (Yonhap) -- Hundreds of unionized employees at cable news channel
YTN went on strike Monday, demanding a raise in pay and the reinstatement of
union leaders who were dismissed last fall for opposing the appointment of the
broadcaster's new chief.

The strike comes amid lingering tension between employees at some broadcasters
and the government of President Lee Myung-bak over media industry reform bills
centered on permitting simultaneous ownership of print and broadcasting media by
a single investor.
President Lee, inaugurated last February, replaced the heads of Korea's largest
public broadcaster KBS and 24-hour news channel YTN with those relatively
favorable to his conservative government, triggering opposition from media
unionists.
Critics claim the replacement of broadcaster heads is an initial step in the
president's ultimate plan to privatize state-run television channels, a move
strongly opposed by broadcasters while welcomed by market-dominating newspaper
companies and conglomerates.
"We will go on indefinite strike beginning 5 a.m. Monday until the management
offers proper dialogue over pay and halts the suppression of unionists," vice
chairman of YTN labor union Kim Yong-cheol said after the union's all-member
meeting Sunday.
Police arrested four YTN union leaders over the weekend, accusing them of
interfering with their president Koo Bon-hong's affairs by launching a blockade
of his office in January.
"Police should release the YTN unionists immediately and suspend its ongoing
suppression of the free press," the Korean Federation of Press Unions said in a
statement.
Reporters without Borders, an international confederation of journalists, said it
will launch an independent probe beginning Monday into the alleged oppression by
the Korean government of YTN unionists.
YTN workers are demanding a 7.2 percent payment raise and the reinstatement of
all dismissed officials.
"It is nonsense to demand a 7.2 percent payment raise when the economy is so
bad," Vice Culture Minister Shin Jae-min said in a press briefing last week. "And
it looks cowardly for YTN unionists to act as if the strike is over payment when
the fight is really against their president and what they really want is the
return of the dismissed officials."
Since he took office a year ago, President Lee has been at odds with local
television stations which accuse him of attempting to tame and control the media
by allowing right-leaning newspaper firms to own television networks via media
law reforms.
The current media law, established in the 1980s, prohibits cross-ownership of
print media and television stations to prevent monopolies in the media industry.
President Lee, a former CEO and strong proponent of market principles, has been
seeking to amend the laws since his inauguration to spur competition between
media outlets and bolster the sectors he believes are falling behind in global
trends.
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.
hayney@yna.co.kr
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