The party said it would use all legal means to oppose the survival of the online daily, such as attempts to eliminate its budget, until President Roh and his administration stop their attempt to put a tight rein on the press. These days, the government has been acting like a merchant offering free gifts to induce readers to see its online newspaper, the opposition party said.

The GNP’s deputy spokesman Song Tae-young said that it was inappropriate for the government itself to have an Internet paper to criticize news publishers and wire service providers. He said that he and his party were curious how the government could spend the public’s "hard-earned tax money" on its own interests.

Song also criticized the government’s plan to set up a coordinated briefing room at the Gwacheon government complex, saying that although the plan seemed good, it could limit the freedom of reporters to cover cases and violate the public’s right to know. He explained that under this system "not all information would be fully revealed."

Amid this situation, it is absurd for the government to set up a committee between ministries and divisions to systematically push the public relations of its policies, he said.

Lee Won-hyung, another high-ranking official of the opposition party, also criticized the government’s press policy, when speaking at a GNP leadership meeting. He said that the government was trying to operate a pro-government press through the open briefing system and that the online official newspaper was aimed at the next year’s general elections. The GNP will work to cut the budget for the online newspaper next year, he added. (Gwon Dai-yeol, dykwon@chosun.com )