(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 17 February 2003 IFJ media release: IFJ Backs Appeal to Korean Government for Reform of Yonhap News Agency The International Federation of Journalists today announced its support for calls from media staff at Korea’s national news agency Yonhap in Seoul. The government should stand aside to allow the appointment […]
(IFJ/IFEX) – The following is a 17 February 2003 IFJ media release:
IFJ Backs Appeal to Korean Government for Reform of Yonhap News Agency
The International Federation of Journalists today announced its support for calls from media staff at Korea’s national news agency Yonhap in Seoul. The government should stand aside to allow the appointment of a new chief executive “in the interests of press freedom and democracy,” says the IFJ.
“The administration of Roh Moo-hyun has an opportunity to show its democratic credentials,” said Aidan White, General Secretary of the IFJ, “by introducing an open, transparent and independent procedure to choose the leader of the country’s major news outlet.”
The IFJ says the appointment normally takes place in the political shadows, under the control of the state-owned MBC and KBS broadcasting groups, which together control 75 per cent of Yonhap shares.
The IFJ is backing the trade union of Yonhap News Agency, which has called for an open appointment procedure following the failure of the Korean Parliament to transfer the major shareholdings in the agency to a new independent body – the Yonhap News Agency Committee. The issue comes to a head at a Yonhap shareholders meeting on March 21, when journalists and staff will press for reform.
“Yonhap staff are fed up with years of mismanagement and an unacceptable lack of independence in the leadership of the Agency,” said Aidan White. “This inevitably weakens morale and compromises professionalism.”
Past presidents of the news agency have been appointed by the government and all have failed to turn around the failing agency, which has suffered deficits for nine consecutive years. It was formed in 1980 under the authoritarian regime of Chun Doo-hwan, which forcibly merged several commercial news agencies. “It’s time for change,” said White. “The new government can demonstrate its commitment to democracy and reform by bringing in transparent and fair procedures.”
The IFJ represents more than 500,000 journalists in more than 100 countries.