KOREA: International Press Institute worried over pressroom closure

IPI director Johann Fritz says journalists are shocked by Roh's restrictive pressroom rules

The Korea Times
Tuesday, August 28, 2007

By Yoon Won-sup

The International Press Institute (IPI) Monday expressed its concern in an open letter to President Roh Moo-hyun over the Korean government's plan to close most of the government pressrooms.

Johann Fritz, director of the IPI, said the government's plan "seriously damages the freedom of the press in Korea by restricting reporters' entry to government offices and preventing public servants from talking with journalists freely, thus also limiting the public's right to know."

He said Roh's remarks, "I will surely nail down the pressrooms with 'big nails,"' shocked experienced journalists in democracies around the world.

"It was very regrettable to hear that your cabinet decided to draw 5.5 billion won from the emergency budget to reduce the number of pressrooms and consolidate briefing rooms," he said. "Moreover, reputedly, the government has also employed 14 additional security guards to ensure that journalists comply with these new rules."

The institute was also worried over the use of press passes that contain electronic chips, which could be used to monitor the movements of journalists.

The IPI said the government's intention behind the plan is very questionable because Korea has less than four months to go before a presidential election.

"The Korean government is obviously acting in its own self-interest by restricting the media's access in the run-up to the December presidential election," he said.

It is the second time for the IPI to send a letter to Roh since June, showing its concern over the plan.

"The following measures illustrate a basic animosity against the media and a deep-rooted misunderstanding of the functioning of a free, independent and critical press," he said.

The IPI removed Korea from its Watch List at its Board meeting in Warsaw in May 2004, hailing Roh's effort toward reconciliation in Korean society. However, events later in the year were to prove the decision depressingly misplaced, it added.

"Mr. President, I therefore urge you again to withdraw the new system and to recover the international reputation of Korea in the medical field," he said. "I do not want to again see South Korea on the IPI Watch List."

The letter was posted on the IPI's Web site www.freemedia.at.

The IPI, which was established in 1951, aims at promoting the freedom of journalists.

Date Posted: 8/28/2007