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Japan's Asahi Shimbun reported Sunday about the fierce confrontation between the Roh Moo-hyun administration and Korea's Big 3 newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo.
The article, entitled, "Korean Government Pressure on the Three Big Papers: The Government Can't Take Criticism," the Asahi reported, "The ruling party, exasperated at the repeated criticism of the government made by the large newspapers, submitted to the national assembly a new bill restricting newspaper market shares, saying, 'We are reducing the problems of the media.'"
The paper said, "Korea's Fair Trade Law sets limits of 50 percent for one company and 75 percent for the top three companies, regardless of industry, but regulations were strengthened only on newspapers because of their 'highly public nature.' In fact, it would seem the 3 Big Papers -- the Chosun Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo -- were made targets. After giving detailed accounts of the criticism leveled against the three papers by Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan and Lee Bu-young, the paper reported, "If you look at just the words used, it would seem the Joongang Ilbo, which has issued quieter criticism of the government than the other two papers, had received a pardon, but one could also see the comments [by Lee and Lee] as designed to alienate the Big Three papers from one another."
Introducing a recent public opinion poll on the matter, the Asahi said, "The people seem skeptical of the bill for now."
The following is the English translation of the original Asahi article from the Japanese:
กแกฐKorean Government Pressures Three Big Dailies"
South Korea's Roh Moo-hyun administration and three big newspapers are in a fierce confrontation over "mass communications reform." Because the ruling party, infuriated by the major dailies that repeatedly criticize the government, has submitted to the National Assembly a new bill regulating newspapers' market shares, among others, "To resolve problems of mass communications." The three big papers are vigorously defying the bill that limits advertisements' rate in newspaper space and even requires newspapers to report to the government their management status.
กแ Hard to Put Up With Criticism Against Government
At a meeting explaining the bill, held at the ruling Uri Party headquarters in Seoul in mid-October, floor leader Chun Jung-bae expressed his confidence, saying, "This will enable the formulation of public opinion properly reflecting the diversity of society." The biggest feature of the bill, which claims to, "Protect the healthy development of mass media firms and rights of the readership," lies in regarding a daily paper as "monopolistic" when its market share exceeds 30 percent and top three papers' share exceeds 60 percent. Though punishment does not immediately follow confirmation of this, a fine of not more than 3 percent of a firm's revenue may be levied if price changes (competition) or offering of gifts and/or free copies are uncovered. Under Korea's Fair Trade Law, a firm, regardless of industry, is subject to regulation when its market share exceeds 50 percent and top three companies' share exceeds 75 percent. But the newspaper bill has intensified the regulation of newspapers for the reason that they are of a "highly public nature."
Furthermore, the bill limits the advertising rate to below 50 percent of newspaper space, requires newspaper companies to report to the government their circulations and financial statements, and set up an editing committee represented by both labor and management, The bill is regarded as a virtual precision shot targeted at the big three dailies -- the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo.
In the absence of accurate statistics, an estimate (by an opposition Grand National Party legislator) has it that the big three papers account for 70.3 percent of the country's national dailies. The newspaper bill, dubbed reform bills along with a bill abolishing the National Security Law and a bill probing into past history for the purpose of disclosing human rights suppressions since the Korean War, was submitted to the legislature on Oct. 20. Prior to and following that date, administration and ruling party leaders began to attack the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo, calling them by names.
Prime Minister Lee Hai-chan, meeting reporters in Berlin, said, "The Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo are traitors to history. Former presidents Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo (both generals-turned- presidents) can be pardoned, but the two papers cannot." On Oct. 20, Uri Party chairman Lee Bu-yung remarked, "We cannot but to be concerned about the anachronistic misleading of public opinion by the Chosun and Dong-A." The JoongAng Ilbo, which is less critical of the government than Chosun and Dong-A, is in a state of being "acquitted," but many observers view the remarks as a scheme of splitting the big three dailies.
กแ Big Three Papers Defy "Control"
The three major dailies have strongly criticized the government since the Kim Dae-jung administration, the immediate predecessor of the Roh administration. Over the Sunshine Policy toward North Korea, in particular, they, as the opposition Grand National Party asserted, criticized it as "being weak toward the North," and attacked the economic reforms as "lacking in effective policies." During the presidential impeachment last spring, too, the three papers supported the stance of the opposition parties.
Incidentally, an offensive and defensive battle was reversed in April when the Uri Party won a majority in the legislative elections. The president, backed up by the "strength of numbers," took up newspaper reform at a stroke.
The big three newspapers simultaneously launched an opposition campaign against the bill, the Chosun Ilbo asking in an editorial, "Is It a Revenge Against Critical Papers?" A senior Dong-A Ilbo official said, "Though we, too, have things to be reformed, the bill is aimed at controlling the media, and it cannot be recognized under any circumstances."
But medium and small papers take an opposite stance. The Seoul Daily wrote, "It is regrettable that the market share provision has been moderated to 30 percent from 20 percent in the original draft bill." The Kyunghyang Shinmun criticized the deletion of provisions restricting owners' equity share. Many contend that the bill is weak.
The citizens at the moment appear to be suspicious of the bill. According to a poll published in the Moonhwa Ilbo on Oct. 29, support for the bill accounted for 38.2 percent of the respondents, while 52.0 percent opposed it. Public support of the Uri Party fell to 28.2 percent, reversing it behind the GNP, which secured 30.5 percent support.
A sense of fretfulness on the part of the administration appears a little bit by bit. The Uri Party's majority in the legislature is only two seats. 29 lawmakers have been prosecuted for violations in the recent National Assembly election, many of whom are anticipated to have their election nullified. With the forthcoming April by-elections in mind, the ruling party attempts to legislate the bill during the current National Assembly session as the "last chance to take advance of the numbers."
กแ Korea's Big Three Papers:
The Korean press, controlled under the military dictatorship, was liberated through the 1987 democratization declaration. The big-three-paper system was established when JoongAng Ilbo, affiliated with the former Samsung conglomerate, was inaugurated in 1965 to join the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-A Ilbo, both of which were inaugurated in the 1920s under Japanese colonial rule. As of the end of last year, the Chosun Ilbo had a circulation of 2.32 million, JoongAng Ilbo 2.08 million and Dong-A Ilbo 2.07 million. Market share of the big three papers is said to exceed 70 percent of national dailies. But the government estimate their market share is about 44 percent of entire dailies.
Other national dailies are the Hankook Ilbo, Seoul Daily, Kyunghyang Shinmun and Moonhwa Ilbo, as well as Hankyoreh, which is deemed to be leaning toward the government, All their circulations have not been made public.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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