Today's IFJ condemnation over the South Korean government's decision is somehow very ambiguous as the condemnation does not pertain to the facts of the case. Without mentioning the reasons behind the Korean government's decision to replace the current CEO of the government-owned broadcasting company is just a knee-jerk reaction by the IFJ and it certainly does not help the credibility of this great organisation. IFJ may view the case as a political witch hunt to carve out the freedom of press in South Korea. However, this is not the case. Please look into the case further and fully disclose the facts of the case. I sincerely hope that your source of information is not just from the Journalists' Association of Korea(JAK). As an avid fan of IFJ and a citizen of Korea, it is very disappointing to see such an unjustified condemnation beeing made with out any base. Thank you.

I totally agree with the condemnation. The government take steady step to interfere and conquer the press. It's very scaring.

According to the constitution of Korea, 1-2. The sovereignty of the Republic of Korea shall reside in the people, and all state authority shall emanate from the people. but now, all authority from the MB. It's too sad. Mb OUT !!! Check this out. http://bbs1.agora.media.daum.net/gaia/do/debate/read?bbsid=d003&articleid=1813080

Please do not simply parrot the claims of the local journalists here (who are frequently corrupt and unethical) without checking your facts. KBS is a wholly government owned organization to which all of us in Korea are forced to pay fees. Personnel reshuffles there, accordingly, are as inevitable as they are in any organization in any democracy when the administration changes. Had KBS actually been more independent and not acted as the mouthpiece and propagandist of the previous administration, it might not have attracted the negative attention it now attracts. There is no threat to the "independence" of KBS because KBS has never been an independent institution. What many of us here in Korea would like is to privatize KBS (and MBC), obviating any conflicts of interest between the government and broadcasters, and making KBS accountable to viewers who will no longer be forced to provide it a guaranteed income. During the tenure of the current president of KBS, KBS ran up massive deficits bailed out by reluctant viewers, and was widely criticized for incompetent management, lavish misuse of public funds, and incessant pro-government propagandizing. As for MBC, I strongly recommend that you do not come to the defense of a program which intentionally broadcast blatant falsehoods about American beef, among them that one can get mad cow disease from cosmetics, that all "downer" cows have mad cow disease, that a young woman in America died from mad cow disease when she did not do so, that Americans do not eat beef over 30 months old and are sending their "trash" to Korea. These false claims plunged the country into chaos for many months. Please understand that our free press is relatively young, has a very poorly developed sense of journalistic ethics, and has no self-regulating institutions. Until such institutions exist and until a widespread sense of professional ethics is instilled among the management of our press institutions, we are thus compelled to rely on the courts and the justice system. There is still relatively little we can do to censure and ostracize journalists who knowingly publish blatant and damaging falsehoods, and press institutions feel little obligation to punish those who are caught doing so if they can get away with it and if it promotes their agenda. Accordingly, in fulfillment of your obligations as journalists to tell the truth, i recommend that you be very skeptical and circumspect before coming to the defense of journalists here, as far too many of them here still propagate falsehoods.

I think that it is a quite serious problem, the international society will have to pay more attention on this matter as well as other issues such as human right over the protesters being held in Korea. It is unacceptable that the Lee goverment tries to return the time of Korean democracy back to 70's where there was no freedom of Media and people often tortured by the goverment authorities.....

The president Lee Myung-Bak in South Korea is one of the most horrible dictators like Kim Il-sung in North Korea. At present, the press freedom and the human rights were disappeared in South Korea. The government of Lee Myung-Bak is trying to control media. EBS, YTN is already controlled by the Lee's right arms. For the next step, KBS and MBC. The press freedom and the democracy in South Korea is dying... now...

South Korea: Use of force against beef protestors should be investigated thoroughly 18 July 2008 South Korean police used excessive force against peaceful protesters demonstrating against the government’s trade policies, Amnesty International said today as it provided preliminary findings of its investigation into human rights violations during the protests against US beef imports that took place in central Seoul between 25 May and 10 July. “The government should demonstrate its commitment to the rule of law by ensuring accountability for any police officers who used excessive force and providing due process for protesters who face criminal charges,” said Norma Kang Muico, Amnesty International Researcher. “Generally, both the protesters and the police showed remarkable organization and constraint. These protests, and the response to them, generally show the strength of South Korea’s civil society as well as its legal institutions, but we have documented several instances of human rights violations.” Since early May, tens of thousands of protesters have demonstrated against the renewal of US beef imports over fears of BSE or mad cow disease. The protests, often involving crowds as large as 10,000, were largely peaceful, but there were incidents of violence as riot police sought to control surging crowds and some protesters attacked and vandalized police vehicles. During candlelight vigils held on 31 May and 1 June, police used fire extinguishers and water cannons fired at close range against largely peaceful demonstrators, causing serious injuries such as blindness, broken bones and concussions. Amnesty International’s investigation indicated that: - In some instances, police used excessive force and abused non-lethal riot control devices such as water cannons and fire extinguishers; - Police engaged in arbitrary arrests of protesters and onlookers; - Some detainees were subjected to cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment, including a lack of adequate medical care; - The Korean government has not yet carried out adequate investigations of these claims. In one case a 24-year-old female office worker fell down after the riot police suddenly charged into the crowd. She was surrounded by at least five police officers who hit her with batons and kicked her repeatedly on her head. To protect herself, she covered her face with her arms. As a result, she suffered a broken arm, her head was severely swollen, and she had cuts and bruises on her upper body. She has not been able to return to work and has been hospitalised since 30 June. Another case involved a 14-year-old boy who participated in the vigils with his mother, fellow classmates and teachers. When the police surged into the crowd, they ran onto the pavement for safety. A police officer hit the boy with a shield in the back of his head while the boy was running away. He fainted and his head was bleeding heavily. He was taken to the Yonsei Severance Hospital where doctors stitched his cut. "These protests involved citizens making their point strongly but in large part peacefully. What they were met with, however, was excessive force by their own government, and that deserves a more thorough investigation," said Norma Kang Muico. http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/south-korea-use-force-against-beef-protestors-should-be-investigated-tho