Media and democracy in South Korea: Save Mediact

The world has watched as South Korea has moved from dictatorship toward democracy, over the last half a century at great cost. However, democracy, including incredible advances made in the culture and media sectors, has suffered serious damage in South Korea under the Lee Myung-bak regime. This damage has been inflected by way of unilateral passage of new media and news laws, the Grand National Party's (GNP) and conservative newspapers' attempt to take-over of public broadcasting and the evening news in particular, and the replacement of major broadcasting networks' executives with pro-government figure. Furthermore, a principle of checks-and-balances among the executive, the legislative, and the judicial branches of the government has been repeatedly violated and weakened the legitimacy of democratic governance.

South Korea in the past two years has been witness to the use of the Public Prosecutor's Office to detain and question journalists critical of the government, infringing on the professional autonomy of rank-and-file reporters and threatening the development of a free and independent press. In addition, the National Tax Service has been used to mobilize politically-motivated institutional audits, while various ministries have been involved in the revocation of NGO licenses and contracts, forced personnel changes, budget cuts, imposition of a real name registration system, pressing of charges of national security violations, and investigations into family members of media movement activists and cultural sector leaders that have been classified as "Born in the Time of DJ (Kim Dae-jung), and Raised by Roh Moo-hyun."

During the past year there have been several forced resignations and/or illegal firings, many of which the Seoul Administrative Court has determined have been illegal but not reversible. While the list is extensive and include the massive personnel and budget cuts at both South Korea's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the NHRCK that violates the latter's autonomy outlined and protected under Article 10 of the Constitution, notable incidents include:
* Arts Council Korea (ARKO) Chief Executive Officer and Chairman Kim Jung-heun
* National Museum of Contemporary Art Director Kim Yoon-soo
* Korean National University of Arts President Hwang Ji-woo
* KBS President Jung Yun-joo
* KBS Director Shin Tae-seop
* National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) Chairperson Ahn Kyung-whan

There have also been:
* many resignations made under political protest of four MBC Board of Directors members and media personality Kim Je-dong
* the parachute appointment of the YTN president
* the defunding of Migrant Worker TV
* the defunding of the Seoul Human Rights Film Festival hosted by Sarangbang
* defunding of RTV (national public access satellite cable channel/ a must-carry channel that launched in 2007)
* an attack on Article 38 of the Broadcast Law stipulating that funds are to be used for supporting viewer-produced programs and providing broadcast access to those otherwise excluded from the mainstream
* shut-down of Indie-Space

These and numerous other instances that suggest consequences of a democracy that is taking backward steps in South Korea have been drawing international attention, including from:
* Experts serving on the United Nations (UN) Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR)
* Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans frontieres, RSF) (According to its 2009 World Press Freedom index, South Korea has dropped 30 places in the past year under President Lee)
* Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
* Amnesty International
* International Coordinating Committee (ICC) of National Institutions for the Promotion and Protection Human Rights
* Asia Pacific Forum of National Human Rights Institutions
* Asia Human Rights Commission & a Statement From Professors In North America Concerned About Korean Democracy.

In addition to calls being made to KOFIC at (02)958-7521 or 02-9587-526 and emails being sent to snowmt@kofic.or.kr ...