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Grand National Party chairman Kang Jae-sup has pledged to revise the press laws and broadcasting laws backed by the current government and stop the government’s plan to merge press rooms in some 37 government agencies into just a handful of high-tech press centers and limit access to government officials. The opposition leader also vowed to push for the abolition of the much-reviled Government Information Agency.

In an interview with the Chosun Ilbo, Kang said his party will in an extraordinary parliamentary session in June try to pass a revision of the current newspaper and broadcasting law, which he said “seriously violate the public’s right to know.” He called for a “full-scale overhaul” of the problem-ridden newspaper law, saying rewriting only the part of the law the Constitutional Court threw out last year is not enough. So far, no revisions of the Newspaper Law and the Press Arbitration Law have gone through parliament, although the Constitutional Court ruled last year that some parts violate the Constitution.

All political parties including the Uri Party have condemned the merger of press briefing rooms. The GNP chairman promised to devise legislative measures to guarantee reporters’ freedom to cover and report cases. Ruling Uri Party spokesman Choi Jae-sung urged the government to postpone the merger, and Rep. Moon Byung-ho, chief of staff for party chairman Chung Sye-kyun, said the party will take “legal and budgetary steps” unless the government accepts the party’s call for a delay.

Rep. Yang Hyung-il, a spokesman for a group of Uri defectors, said the splinter group will push for revision of the media related laws in June’s extraordinary session, adding the merger of “violates constitutionality and the public interest.” Democratic Party floor leader Kim Hyo-seuk pledged to consider drafting a law to prevent the government from controlling reporting. Democratic Labor Party spokesman Kim Hyung-tak expressed opposition to the government’s plan, saying the party is still mulling whether to draft a bill to discourage it.

GNP floor leader Kim Hyong-o called on parties to agree on the abolition of the Government Information Agency in June’s extraordinary session. He said if Uri won’t cooperate, the GNP and other opposition parties will push ahead with the shutdown of the government PR agency on their own. Uri floor leader Chang Young-dal said his party will “discuss” the GIA’s abolition in parliament but added closing it down “is not necessary.” DP floor leader Kim Hyo-seuk said the GIA should be abolished “if necessary.”

(englishnews@chosun.com )