Posted December. 17, 2007 18:18,
Minister after Minster Avoids and Cancels Interviews with Dong-A
The Dong-A Ilbo planned to conduct a series of interviews with political leaders after the 10/26 by- and re-elections in 2005 to hear their opinions. Then Unification Minister Chung Dong-young and Welfare Minister Kim Geun-tae denied interview requests or withdrew their initial consent to interviews with the Dong-A without a reasonable explanation. When first offered an interview, Minister Chung replied, Lets wait and see. I think its not the time. I will do it if any other minister does so first, indicating Minster Kim. Minster Kim in turn agreed to the request, and set up the schedule on the spot. Then, the Dong-A contacted Minister Chung again and informed him of the result. But Chung came up with another reason, saying, I want to see how President Roh and the inner circle react to Kims interview. Later, Chung gave a final No answer to our request. Following Chungs suit, Kim abruptly cancelled the interview just one day prior to it. A source close to President Rohs inner circle confirmed later, Everyone knows how much Roh hates the Dong-A. No wonder they could not go against it.
The reluctance on interviews and contributions illustrates how hostile the Roh administration is toward critical newspapers including the Dong-A.
Whenever a major national issue sprang up or a new minister took office, the Dong-A asked for interviews through both official and unofficial channels. In most cases, our requests were rejected without any apparent reason.
Government officials who authored contributions in the critical newspapers were reportedly summoned to explain their conducts. Pro-Roh politicians, groups and reporters defined as traitors from those who accepted interview requests, for example, the Dong-A or the Chosun Ilbo, and demanded a kangaroo court to punish them.
Isolation Attempt Against Critical Voices
When Education Minister Kim Shin-il took office in September 2006, the Dong-A submitted an interview request to the office of his secretary.
Upon receipt, the office replied, We will think about it. Later, whenever our reporter requested for confirmation, the office denied the request, citing tightness in Kims schedule.
In private, the office informed, You know how hostile the atmosphere is. Its hard to accept requests from the Dong-A, the Chosun, or the JoongAng.
Two former finance ministers Han Deok-su and Gwon Oh-gyu never accepted our repeated interview requests while in office. Through their press secretaries, that stated that they would not grant any interview request by an individual newspaper.
Celebrating Rohs third anniversary in office, the First Lady sat down with reporters from four womens magazines for interviews. However, she would not give the same opportunity to the Dong-A Ilbos subsidiary magazine, which commands the top spot in the market.
The subsidiary officially contacted her secretary office and requested for an interview on more than six occasions since 2003 only to receive a vague, evasive answer: When possible, we will let you know.
Cheong Wa Dae later officially explained, We have our own criteria and acted on them when selecting interviewers. An official later told the Dong-A, You know why. Its an open secret. They just dont like your company.
On the other hand, former Justice Minster Kim Seong-ho met with Dong-A reporters in January. He repeatedly stressed the importance of the corporation-friendly free market environment during his interview.
It was a rare incident under the Roh administration. Cheong Wa Dae officials publicly expressed their unhappiness about it.
Justice officials later revealed, We knew President Roh would not like it, but the minister wanted it, and we didnt do anything to stop him. Minister Kim resigned on September 3. Many speculate his resignation stemmed from his conflict with President Roh.
Kim Wan-kee, who now heads the Government Employee Pension Service, granted an interview request from Weekly Dong-A in February when he served as president to one of his aides. His friends relate that he paid a heavy price for that.
The interview had nothing to do with politics. It was part of the success story coverage, featuring his advancement from low-ranking worker to the top position despite his high school education. Still, Rohs men at Cheong Wa Dae reportedly snapped and tried to eat him up for the interview.
President Rohs Influence
Political commentators point to President Roh as the source of the interview refusal by high-ranking government officials.
President Roh sat down with reporters for more than 20 times since his victory in the last presidential election. Most of the reporters worked for pro-Roh TV stations, newspapers, and Internet broadcasting companies.
For example, Roh allowed three interviews with the Hankyoreh. He even personally visited the newspaper headquarters in January 2003, as president-elect.
But he never granted interview requests from the Dong-A or the Chosun. In a rare move, President Roh met with JoongAng Ilbo chairman Hong Seok-hyeon for an interview in February 2004. One year thereafter, chairman Hong was appointed ambassador to Washington, but resigned seven months later, engulfed in a political scandal.
One of Rohs loyal lieutenants, Lee Hae-chan, has never talked to Dong-A reporters during his term as prime minister from June 2004 to March 2006. Lee defined the Dong-A and the Chosun as poison in society. Under these circumstances, it was impossible even to ask for an interview. In March 2006, he resigned due to a political scandal unearthed by the Dong-A.
Former Prime Minster Han Myeong-sook never allowed Dong-A reporters to interview her during her term. In March this year, after leaving office, she gave an exclusive interview to the Dong-A.
Some officials reportedly paid a huge price for their authoring contributions in the critical newspapers.
Commissioner Cho Chang-hyeon of Civil Service Commission wrote a column in the Chosun Ilbo in September 2005 to promote a new government policy. At around the same time, Yoo Hong-jun, head of Cultural Heritage Administration, allowed Chosun reporters to interview him. Both of them were later grilled by Cheong Wa Dae.
Dean of Communication and Journalism College Seong Dong-gyu at Chung-Ang University criticizes, Roh shows an extremely crooked, biased attitude toward some newspapers. Who could stand up against it within the administration?
[Undemocratic Enforcement of Policy-making Wont Pay]
The United New Democratic Party (UNDP) is strengthening its condemnation of the governments press control measure, the so-called Advanced Media Support System.
On September 3, Representative Oh Chung-il of UNDP held a press conference and said, Not only the way the government solicited the measure was undemocratic, but also the timing was off (with the coming presidential election). Its problematic that the regime consisting of the democratization stream takes on such attitude toward the press matter. With so many people worried, it shouldnt be carried on forcibly.
Access to Source is the Limit Line-
The UNDP is poised to respond to the current crisis actively in order to clear its image of Uri Party Reborn.
With Chairperson Kim Hyo-seok as the leader, spokesman Lee Nak-yeon, assemblyman Jeong Dong-chae, and other former journalists gathered around to draft a mediation measure on the party level. They plan to announce the final draft around September 4 and negotiate with Cheong Wa Dae and the Korean Overseas Information Service based on it.
Article 11 of the prime ministerial order that bids journalists to contact the information office first before meeting the government employees, and Clause 2, Article 12 that allows interview only in designated places are in fact devices that limit the press activities, says assemblyman Jeong. Well ask them to eliminate relevant provisions without excuse.
Regarding the establishment of an integrated briefing room by the government, he said, Because the budget has already been spent, it is, in reality, difficult to hurl it down and recover the original state. Instead were discussing a measure to provide minimum space for the convenience of fact-finding and article deliverance activities in each ministry, in addition to the briefing room.
No Forcible Way-
The UNDP chose the political negotiation as the alternative solution, but seems to be passive about making solutions at the National Assembly level. The reality that it still is the governing party in fact is being applied to it.
Initially, Chairperson Kim announced that he would not approve the budget for the construction work of the integrated briefing room, but on September 3, he showed a more careful attitude, saying, It wont be easy because the account settlement examination in the coming regular National Assembly session only evaluates the spending in 2006.
In other words, the party can instead come up with the (2007) resolution for the suspension of the proposed budget spending based on a negotiation with the Grand National Party in case the government and Cheong Wa Dae refuse to accept the mediation measure.