Lee Won-chang of the opposition Grand National Party pointed out that the government sent a written protest to the International Press Institute about the institute's resolution categorizing Korea as a country that intimidates and harasses the media. “The government wrote in the protest that the Korean media is currently singing the praises of unprecedented liberty," Lee said. "How can that be possible when Cheong Wa Dae is blocking the media’s access to governmental offices?”

Choung Byoung-gug of the same party said that the government is so obsessed with its struggle with the domestic media that Korea's national image has been degraded due to the resolution. He urged the government to prepare countermeasures to reverse the dishonor of being included on the IPI's watch list.

Lawmakers from the United Liberal Democratic Party downplayed the IPI resolution. Shin Ki-nam and Kim Seong-ho said that after reading through the reasons for being listed on the watch list, it is evident that the IPI has distorted even the very basic facts. They added that even in 1978, when Korea was under a tyrannical dictatorship, the IPI evaluated the environment for the media in Korea at the same level as those in the United States and Switzerland.

The GNP legislator Ko Heung-kil responded by saying that it was wrong for the government to ignore all the IPI’s decisions because of its misjudgments in the past. Lee Hyup of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party agreed, saying that the IPI resolution talks about the current administration, not past, and he cannot understand why some people are having a hard time accepting it. He proposed that the resolution be delivered to President Roh and that Roh be asked to read it through carefully.

The GNP’s Choung criticized the government for waging the war on the media, saying it in the process was neglecting important issues such as economy, the North Korean nuclear problem and the environment. He added that he was seriously confused on the role of the KOIS, asking whether it was the "Korean Overseas Information Service" or the "Korean Overseas Disorder Service."

Lee Won-chang of the same party piled on, saying the service had failed to let people know of SARS or typhoon prevention procedures and had only concentrated on promoting the president. “It seems that the KOIS should change its name to the 'Roh Moo-hyun Overseas Information Service,'” Lee said.

Jong Bum-goo of the MDP speculated on the the cause of incorrect reports in the media, saying it stemmed from the government’s attitude on dealing with information. “I believe that incorrect reports occur not because of the media’s animosity toward the government, but because the government is releasing wrong information because of its inflexible system toward media,” he said. Jong urged the government to stop openly complaining about and exhibiting hostility toward media, and to try instead to reach the citizens with "correct information."

The MDP lawmaker Lee Hyup agreed, saying that the government is too busy promoting its own policies. “The government should not spend time and money on such things," he said. "The government should deal with the people’s troubles and enhance the efficiency of government management.”

A lawmaker with the new People's Participatory and Unity Party, Shin Ki-nam, defended the Roh administration, saying that the government had confronted more than 370 incorrect reports since the Roh Administration took office. Shin said that the information service should take more aggressive measures to promote the government's policies. (Kim Min-cheol, mckim@chosun.com )