A pass needed for reporters at the Foreign Ministry to meet with public officials. The pass contains an electronic chip and reporters can only pass through the gate if they have an appointment with the official they wish to meet. News Editors Urge Gov't to Scrap Press Controls Resolution Adopted at an Emergency Meeting of Managing and Chief News Editors Most Koreans Oppose Press Controls: Poll Standoff Over Press Controls Intensifies Int’l Watchdog Condemns Korea’s New Press Controls Parliamentary Parties Urge Gov't to Scrap Press Controls Int'l Press Watchdog Renews Censure of S.Korea An Appalling Act of Media Repression Swan Song for the Propaganda Office Gov't Cuts Off Reporters' Internet Access The Death Throes of the Roh Administration Death Sentence for Gov't Information Agency The Shameless Gov’t Information Agency Court Dismisses Roh's Petition on Political Neutrality

"The government is attempting to gag the press by pursuing a plan to block reporters' free news coverage under the pretext of 'advanced news coverage support’, despite concerted opposition from all press organizations, political circles, and civic and public organizations. We consider this anti-press measure, unheard-of even under the authoritarian regimes of former presidents Park Chung-hee and Chun Doo-hwan, an undemocratic suppression of the press. We cannot contain our anger at the move by an administration that bills itself as a ‘participatory government.’"

By closing the briefing rooms at government agencies and letting the head of the GIA head issue press passes to journalists for a few centralized briefing rooms, the government “aims to restrict the press,” it said, and aims to prevent face-to-face meetings between public servants and block news coverage. “We can only regard all this as an attempt at a comprehensive cover-up of what goes on in government.” It called on the government to “face the reality that democratic nations around the world are instead enhancing transparent ways for the press to monitor implementation of government policies."

The Journalist Federation of Korea on the same day called for an immediate halt to “suppression of the press." In a statement, the federation said, "The latest measure taken by the government is apparently aimed at selecting only information that is palatable to the incumbent administration and supplying it to the public ahead of the presidential election in December." It vowed to fight “alongside all forces struggling to defend the freedom of the press. Along with the public, we will monitor closely which candidate tries to defend press freedom during the presidential election campaign."

(englishnews@chosun.com )