Korean Job Discussion Forums

[cbclark4]

Death Sentence for Gov't Information Agency
Updated Jan.4,2008 07:28 KST Chosun Ilbo

The presidential Transition Committee on Thursday decided to shut down
the Government Information Agency, the office in charge of the Roh Moo-
hyun administration's draconian press control policy. After GIA officials
briefed the committee on their programs, Lee Dong-kwan, spokesman for
the committee, passed a de facto death sentence on the agency by
recalling that disbanding the GIA �is the president elect's campaign
pledge." The committee is to submit a bill ending the short life of the
propaganda office to the National Assembly in January.

Lee Dong-kwan said president-elect Lee Myung-bak �repeatedly
mentioned the possibility� of restoring the press rooms the GIA shut
down, �and that�s also the Grand National Party's basic policy." He said
the GIA�s combined briefing centers and effective denial of press access
to officials, billed as �advanced media support�, was �not advancement
but retrogression. Such a policy runs counter to the freedom of the
press."


http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200801/200801040011.html

[mindmetoo]

I thought this closing of the press rooms thing was the birth of journalism in Korea. Instead of sitting in a press room waiting to be told what story to write, these reporters were now going to have to get off their duffs and do real reporting.