KOREA: Ex-chairwoman opposes GNP's media bill passage

The governing Grand National Party can unilaterally vote media bill's approval with its majority numbers

The Korea Times
Sunday, July 19, 2009

By Do Je-hae

The governing Grand National Party (GNP)'s plan to put a set of disputed media bills to a vote this week hit a stumbling block Sunday after Rep. Park Geun-hye, the party's former chairwoman, expressed opposition to the unilateral passage of them.

Rep. Park said she would cast a dissenting vote if the Assembly's plenary session deals with the bills.

Park's remarks came as the governing party indicated that it will move the bills -- purportedly aimed at reshaping the media industry -- forward to a National Assembly vote this week, despite fervent protests from the main opposition Democratic Party (DP).

Political analysts said her position is expected to aggravate the GNP's internal rift between the pro-Lee Myung-bak and pro-Park factions.

While the DP welcomed Park's decision, some GNP officials worried that it may act as an impediment to the party's plan to ask National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyung-o to invoke his authority and call a vote on the bills.

"We will ask Kim to put the bills to a vote today and terminate the protracted parliamentary deadlock," said GNP floor leader Rep. Ahn Sang-soo at a press conference at the Assembly.

Ahn will meet with his DP counterpart Rep. Lee Kang-rae at 10:00 a.m. today for final negotiations.

Meanwhile, DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun said that he will conduct a fast in protest against the governing party's intention to railroad the media bills. He also proposed a meeting with President Lee Myung-bak. "My protest is the last resort to block the abuse of power by the governing party. I will continue to fast until the GNP withdraws its plan to railroad the bills," Chung said.

"As the leader of the main opposition party, I would like to talk with President Lee regarding the media bills as well as administrative reform measures."

However, prospects for such a meeting are unclear, with a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman urging the National Assembly to seek a resolution of the stalemate on its own.

The DP is afraid that the GNP may take advantage of its majority at the Assembly to railroad the bills. The governing party has 170 seats in the 299-member legislature, while the DP has 85 and has vowed to block any unilateral voting on the bills.

"The GNP is undermining the proper procedure as dictated in the National Assembly Law in order to railroad the media bills, which are opposed by 70 percent of the public," DP spokesman Noh Young-min said.

Speaker Kim, a former governing party lawmaker, urged negotiators of the rival parties to settle the agenda for today's plenary session.

At the request of the governing party, the National Assembly will hold plenary sessions for five days this week. The current extraordinary parliamentary session will conclude July 25. A regular session is scheduled for September.

The National Assembly Secretariat limited unauthorized access to the main hall and reinforced security measures amid concerns of physical clashes among the rival parties. More than 40 GNP legislators briefly occupied the speaker's seat Sunday morning.

Since last week, the rival parties have been occupying the Assembly main chamber simultaneously to prevent parliamentary proceedings.

Lawmakers have been clashing over the media bills for eight months.

The GNP submitted the bills, which will enable conglomerates and print media to own up to a 20-percent stake in broadcasters.

The governing party has maintained that the bills will modernize the media industry and create 25,000 new jobs.

The DP claims that they will be used to control the media and will only benefit a handful of the country's major conservative newspapers and conglomerates.

Date Posted: 7/19/2009