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agentX
Joined: 12 Oct 2007
Location: Jeolla province
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 Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:30 am Post subject: Brawling in the legislature again: resignations to follow |
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Those media reform bills passed today, but not without a fight. Or two. 
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/116_48899.html
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Three controversial media bills were railroaded Wednesday, paving the way for the conservative dailies and chaebol to take a controlling interest in broadcasting and cable news networks.
The vote was made amid violent physical clashes between lawmakers of the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) and opposition parties.
Immediately after the passage of the bills, Democratic Party (DP) Chairman Chung Sye-kyun and floor leader Lee Kang-rae said they would tender their resignations. |
Well good for them for resigning! it's not like they're doing anything except whining (and building barricades) anyway. Is the DP hiring? I know some people in Mexico who need a job. They'd probably do a better job.
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| The Assembly main chamber was turned into a battleground, as brawls and yelling turned into scuffles and violence as Lee, instead of speaker Kim Hyong-o, took the podium to present the bills. |
The article has a photo of a few ladies going at it. One has another in what appears to be a half nelson. Or a bearhug; the photo's not clear.
Anyway, today's action has consequences, besides bruises.
http://koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2009/07/116_48824.html
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The main opposition Democratic Party (DP) said Tuesday that its 84 lawmakers will resign en masse if the governing party railroads controversial media bills, which would allow conservative dailies and chaebol to "control broadcasting."
The move came amid predictions that Speaker Kim Hyong-o would invoke his right to table the bills to help the ruling Grand National Party (GNP) pass them during the current National Assembly session, which ends Saturday.
If Kim tries to table the bills Thursday or Friday, the DP said it would use all means possible to block the move.
If the bills are railroaded against their wishes, all lawmakers, aides and staff members will step down, leaving the legislature unable to function, it said.
A mass resignation would put Korea into unprecedented political chaos. The Assembly would be without lawmakers from the largest opposition party, dealing a blow to the Lee Myung-bak administration.
Since its inauguration in February last year following a landslide victory, the Lee administration has been unable to pass major reform bills, despite the governing party commanding a comfortable majority.
DP Chairman Chung Sye-kyun, now on the third day of a hunger strike, believes that if pro-government conservative dailies have a major stake in broadcasting, the governing camp will control public opinion, thus allowing the governing party to prolong power.
Chung said the opposition party would then have little chance of winning future elections if the dailies control broadcasting networks.
The DP leadership said a last-minute compromise was possible as long as the bills exclude the three largest daily newspapers, and chaebol from controlling broadcasting networks. |
If memory serves me right, don't most locals only believe what's on Agora forums and not in the MSM anyway (Re: Mad Cow scare)? Wouldn't having the daily papers allied with the GNP work more in the DP favor because any time the conglomerate says something bad about them, they can just say "well they're owned by Rupert Murdoch! Of course they're lying!" or the equivalent?
It's gonna be a long, hot summer. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:49 am Post subject: |
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Don't they jail people for physical violence?
In many countries even politicians would be up on assault charges for violent assaults. They even have video footage. |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:55 am Post subject: |
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July's Pay Per View, as I call it. It's a regular occurrence, and helps you understand the tantrums your students throw. You can't fault them too much for being immature when this is how the lawmakers behave.
My favorite quotation from the Assembly brawls is from the US FTA sessions:
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Rep. Park Byeong-seug, DP chief policymaker, said shortly before the committee's approval of the motion that his party would fight against the GNP in collaboration with the general public.
``We now realize that we are unable to represent the voices of working- and middle-class citizens properly in the legislature where all decisions are made based on votes,'' Park said. |
http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/nation/2008/12/116_36329.html
Some posters here from NZ might remember a few years ago the hullabullo the Korean Embassy made after a NZ commercial used images of Korean politicians in a commercial.
http://blog.filletofseoul.com/?p=198
From the Embassy complaint:
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| The Embassy believes that the advertisement breached Rule No. 5 in the Advertising Code of Ethics and Basic Principle No. 3 of the Revised Code for People in Advertising. It depicted Korean politics and people in a negative fashion and was therefore offensive to the Korean community in New Zealand. It also believes that scenes of a country�s political conflict should not be used for commercial purposes. |
You know what else depicts Korean politics and people in a negative fashion? Korean politics and people. |
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Smee
Joined: 24 Dec 2004
Location: Jeollanam-do
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:13 am Post subject: |
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| Man, I just watched the video on KBS. Remarkable. Breathtaking. How are these jokers still in office? This isn't democracy, it's kindergarten. |
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Tiberious aka Sparkles
Joined: 23 Jan 2003
Location: I'm one cool cat!
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 4:51 am Post subject: |
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You gotta fight for your right to (Democratic) Party.
Good for them. You idiots criticizing the violence should realize how badly the media reform will affect you. |
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Julius
Joined: 27 Jul 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:04 am Post subject: |
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| Smee wrote: |
| Man, I just watched the video on KBS. Remarkable. Breathtaking. How are these jokers still in office? This isn't democracy, it's kindergarten. |
..if Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard gets 5 years in jail for punching some barfly,then these dudes should be incarcerated! |
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earthbound14
Joined: 23 Jan 2007
Location: seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:12 am Post subject: |
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So the video shows them passing a bill that is violently opposed by the majority...literally. WTF? How can a bill stand up in court when they surrounded the podium with tough guys to keep people away just so they could read the bill and tap a gavel?
Korean politics is pretty messed up if they can't over rule that in a democratic manner.
On another note, the NZ thing was pretty funny. Thanks for the post Smee. After careful deliberation about the situation I think it is OK to laugh at the images of Korean politicians acting like arses and to make money using it.
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| Moral: If you stopped acting like asshats, people wouldn�t laugh at you for acting like asshats. |
Korea needs to grow up and realise that a lot of the negative press they get is deserved and it is their actions that should change not the foreign press. |
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phoneboothface
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Location: Korea
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:48 am Post subject: |
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Yeah the snappy patter of Prime Minister's Questions this is not. Now that's how you run a legislature.
But connecting this behavior to our students is completely silly.
And since none of us here have too firm a grasp on the issue let's not totally insult Korean politics.
How many of us subtly endorsed throwing eggs at Bush's inauguration or that shoe-throwing guy?
That being said, these brawls, while entertaining, are a real embarrasment for Korea. Get it together boys, just smile at the camera and then create scandals/false accusations to tarnish people like the rest of the world does.
The fact that some people are rushing to crow and gloat over this reveals their true character. Get a life. For all the talk about Korean insecurity, rushing to trumpet this reveals PLENTY of insecurity from FTs.
The funniest thing I ever heard was Putin giving a massive news conference where he said "We settled the Chechen conflict using mostly diplomatic and legal means" No one even blinked, it's Putin and Russia after all. In fact it demonstrated progress on the Russian scale.
I think it was also Putin who told Tony Blair something along the lines of "One day we're going to kill ***h%l#s like you". The curse being translated as 'goats' the Russian literal meaning of the curse.
This was reported as 'Russian Prime Minister vows to kill goats".
Does anyone have any ideas on what they were brawling over? Maybe it was all staged...Either way, get a grip K-Congress lads. |
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phoneboothface
Joined: 26 Apr 2009
Location: Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 5:52 am Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
I think it was also Putin who told Tony Blair something along the lines of "One day we're going to kill ***h%l#s like you". The curse being translated as 'goats' the Russian literal meaning of the curse.
This was reported as 'Russian Prime Minister vows to kill goats".
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Link me. |
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Steelrails
Joined: 12 Mar 2009
Location: Earth, Solar System
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:15 am Post subject: |
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Tried to find it, can't.
I heard this from a Russian friend of mine back in like 2000-2001. According to him the incident was glossed over by the British media but all the Russians seemed to have a good chuckle. Apparently it was one of those 'oops I thought I was off-camera' moments. Possibly even said in jest. Kinda like Jesse Jackson's Obama Sterilization caught on camera moment.
I know, very bad citation and evidence. But it was just so 'Russian'.
The other Putin comment was made around 2004-2005. I saw it on C-SPAN and it was a MASSIVE press conference held in a room that resembled the Senate in Star Wars. This too might have been a bad translation, and again it just seemd so 'in character' for the Russian President. |
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GoldMember
Joined: 24 Oct 2006
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 6:31 am Post subject: |
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| Correct me if I'm wrong here but apparently no legal (criminal) action can be taken against the Korean President whilst in office. In other words he can rape his secretary, or smack anyone he likes in the head, and no charges will be laid. |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:01 am Post subject: |
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A big difference between one or two members of the public hurling stuff and an entire parliament erupting into a WWE pay-per-view isn't it?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/8162862.stm
This is the footage from the beeb. I am sure the Macho Man or Hulk Hogan would be impressed.
Completely laughable and disgraceful and all this comes after Roh tops himself. Sparkli.... oh never mind.
Its actually on the beeb front page, perhaps they could link something to the 'Hi Seoul' website or something lol
| Steelrails wrote: |
Yeah the snappy patter of Prime Minister's Questions this is not. Now that's how you run a legislature.
But connecting this behavior to our students is completely silly.
And since none of us here have too firm a grasp on the issue let's not totally insult Korean politics.
How many of us subtly endorsed throwing eggs at Bush's inauguration or that shoe-throwing guy?
That being said, these brawls, while entertaining, are a real embarrasment for Korea. Get it together boys, just smile at the camera and then create scandals/false accusations to tarnish people like the rest of the world does.
The fact that some people are rushing to crow and gloat over this reveals their true character. Get a life. For all the talk about Korean insecurity, rushing to trumpet this reveals PLENTY of insecurity from FTs.
The funniest thing I ever heard was Putin giving a massive news conference where he said "We settled the Chechen conflict using mostly diplomatic and legal means" No one even blinked, it's Putin and Russia after all. In fact it demonstrated progress on the Russian scale.
I think it was also Putin who told Tony Blair something along the lines of "One day we're going to kill ***h%l#s like you". The curse being translated as 'goats' the Russian literal meaning of the curse.
This was reported as 'Russian Prime Minister vows to kill goats".
Does anyone have any ideas on what they were brawling over? Maybe it was all staged...Either way, get a grip K-Congress lads. |
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stevieg4ever
Joined: 11 Feb 2006
Location: London, England
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:08 am Post subject: |
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Prepare yourself for a myriad of 'you can't dictate another land's culture...' based arguments your way. Hell hath no furry like an apologist scorned....
| Julius wrote: |
Don't they jail people for physical violence?
In many countries even politicians would be up on assault charges for violent assaults. They even have video footage. |
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SeoulFinn
Joined: 27 Feb 2006
Location: 1h from Seoul
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| Posted: Wed Jul 22, 2009 9:08 am Post subject: |
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A short clip of the brawl was broadcast even in the Finnish news. *sigh* Way to go, Korea!
News like this -not to forget some bizarre court rulings- keep making me feel so proud of the fact that I spend many years at the university majoring in Korean studies! Soon my friends will start to give me strange looks, as they know how much I liked to live and conduct research in Korea.
Anyway, there's a Ph.D topic right there, if anyone is looking for one. *^^* |
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