Roh’s Hostility toward Media Evident

President Roh Moo-hyun has made a lot of blunt remarks against the media throughout his term. They have been cynical and hostile comments rather than constructive criticism. His views on the media have been shared by other government officials as well, and it finally materialized into a close down of the pressrooms.

Closed Pressrooms-

The administration’s decision to close down pressrooms and briefing rooms is the epitome of Roh’s animosity against the media. Since he took office, he has confronted the media, saying, “The media is a dangerous authority that is immune from verification and surveillance.” His officials have reflected that hostility in their media polices.

When Roh was minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries in 2001, he said that there needs to be a politician who is not scared of waging a war with the media. In June 2001, he stressed the necessity of a confrontation with the media, saying, “Media reform is a struggle for democracy.” Roh’s remarks were regarded as the personal opinion of a politician who was rough in speech.

However, everything changed after the 2002 presidential election. All of his remarks materialized to form his media policy. In January, at a luncheon, he said, “The media sector is where most of our unreliable products lie.” He claimed, “So many lies are on the news as if they are facts. Opinions of doubtful origin are poured into the public and that hurts people.” A few days later, he said in a regular state council meeting that there are journalists who sit in the pressrooms all day and collude with one another.

Later, the Bureau of Public Information and the Office of the Senior Secretary to the President for Public Information intensively reviewed measures to close down and consolidate government pressrooms. On March 22, the administration came up with a media policy called, ‘Advanced Media Support System.’

Blaming the Media-

Recently, Roh showed his enmity against the media in an interview, saying, “Former presidents Kim Young-sam and Kim Dae-jung were murdered by the media. I will leave the office alive, not as a corpse.” The general perception, however, is that the two Kims hurt themselves thanks to the corruption of close associates or sons at the end of their terms. Roh blames this on the media as well.

His hostility was further shown when he defined the media as an ‘unreliable product,’ and by how he has pointed his finger at the media throughout his tenure as president. Roh, in a New Year’s meeting in Cheong Wa Dae on January 3, said, “The media is spying on everyone and is a danger to our country.”

In regular state council meeting on January 16, he said, “Eliminating unfair privileges, collusion, cheating, and backdoor dealings is one of my most important goals. The strongest obstacle to achieving this is the media.”

In his New Year’s address to the people of Korea on January 23, he blamed policy confusion on the media and said, “I bore the brunt of the media’s condemnation when I said in 2004 that we are not facing an economic crisis.”

Distorted loyalty of Roh’s men-

Roh’s men have inherited his media perspective and have attacked the media as if they were in a loyalty competition. However, these attitudes only enlarged the controversy and deepened the people’s distrust in the administration. Every time polices brought about problems, they criticized the media, saying, “Report according to the facts with responsibility,” instead of admitting their faults and trying to solve them. Therefore, even the members of the ruling party raised their voices, saying, “The administration’s officials are intensifying public mistrust by making unnecessary remarks.”

Ahn Hee-jeong, who is close enough to Roh to be called a ‘partner,’ said in an interview in May, “The conservative media is wreaking havoc on the participatory government. It is unjust to criticize supporters who are trying to defend the administration.”

Cho Ki-sook, the former senior secretary to the president for Public Information, also criticized certain media outlets in his recently published book, “An Enchanted Nation.” Cho said, “After the Dong-A Ilbo and the Chosun Ilbo report something in the morning, the Munhwa Ilbo, an evening paper, exaggerates and reproduces the news. It is a vicious cycle.”

Yang Jeong-cheol, secretary to the president for Communications Planning, was involved in a lawsuit because of his criticism of certain media outlets, saying, “Chosun and Dong-A should stop their incantations.”

Yang also raised his voice against the media in August, when editors and directors across the country resolved to defend Korea’s freedom of our press. He made sarcastic remarks, saying, “There was a time when the government charged the press with spying to take over the media. Many journalists were tortured because they wrote unfavorable news stories about the government. Where were all of you at the time? You were never there when these things happened.”

Yang is one of the leading planners for media regulation policy. Some point out that Roh’s entourage, who act like the ‘Red Guards’ at times, have intensified Roh’s stubbornness by joining the war against the media.

leon@donga.com