GIA Chief Defends Secrecy Over Press Room Bombshell GNP Chairman Vows to Fight Press Restrictions Treating the Press Like the Enemy War on the Press Will Sour Roh’s Last Days in Office What Really Matters Is the President, by Kang Chun-suk Roh Comes Out Fighting Over Press Room Merger Why Roh Is Throwing the Book at the Press Uri Suspicious of Motives for Press Room Merger No Progress for the Progressives Int'l Press Club Slams Korea's New Media Rules Media Experts Reject New Press Rules: Poll The Right to Know What He Wants Us to Know Seven More Months, by Kim Dae-joong Ex-Election Commissioners Say Roh Violated Law Gov't Efforts to Limit Media Access Continue Gov’t Ups the Ante in Press Crackdown Journalists, Readers Sue Over Pressroom Merger

Controversial new government rules for dealing with the press hit their first concrete obstacles on Wednesday, when the Financial Supervisory Commission and the Financial Supervisory Service in a joint meeting decided to ban reporters from directly visiting their offices. FSC spokesman Hong Young-man said reporters will be allowed to talk with public officials on the phone, but they have to give prior notice to the public relations office of the agencies and use an interview room when they want to meet public servants face-to-face.

The FSC is a pure government agency, but the Financial Supervisory Service is more like a private watchdog since it is run with dividends paid by financial companies and staff are not civil servants. Reporters covering the FSS told both agencies they cannot accept the government’s new media policy if they are to uphold the public’s right to know.

Meanwhile, the Unification Ministry kicked a reporter from the conservative JoongAng Ilbo out of the press room for the ongoing inter-Korean ministerial talks at the Grand Hilton Hotel in Seoul. The ministry set up a 150-seat pressroom for domestic and foreign reporters at the hotel. The JoongAng reporter had criticized the ministry’s way of running the press center, saying the government applies a double standard by opening press centers when it needs to publicize policies while deciding to shut down briefing rooms when media reports are critical.

The initiative came from a ministry official who, echoing remarks by President Roh Moo-hyun on Tuesday, said there was “no need for the ministry to consider the convenience” of a reporter who had criticized the ministry’s operation of the press center. The entire press corps covering the ministry expressed regret over the action, regardless of the newspaper’s position.

(englishnews@chosun.com )