Stop Media Control and Ensure Media Independence in Korea

Participants of the IFJ and UNI Asia Pacific Regional Seminar, Kuala Lumpur, 19-21 September 2012, herewith adopt a statement on Korea to support NUMW and Korean media workers in their fight for the fair journalism, demand to reinstate dismissed workers from the strike action of this year and call on the government to stop its interference with the media workers’ organizations and management of public broadcasting.

 

The negative impact of media control by political power is critical, the hunger for people’s right to unbiased and free information is desperate and the weakening of democracy is real and serious. Freedom of speech is a pillar of democracy and measure repressing the media is anti-democratic. We support NUMW’s struggle to protect the democracy and stand up for an independent media for people. The current media control mechanism and the continued interference in the medial by the government is a threat to the entire society.

 

We applaud the determined union strike action over the last months of NUMW and its affiliated unions and the strong support by people that forced the government to announce the conduct of a national investigation and national hearing on the control of media and illegal wiretapping of citizen and to renew management of public broadcasters. This promise has been broken. Korean media workers will resume strike action if the government will not respect its commitment. Together with the civil society, labor unions, cultural organization we support NUMW’s position.

 

On behalf of IFJ and UNI Asia Pacific representing together over 2.3 million workers from more than 200 unions in 27 countries we express our support to Korean media workers and declare to extend international solidarity in the future. We join Korean media workers and demand:

 

·        Government to stop the repression of media;

·        Park Geun-Hye, presidential candidate of Saenuri Party to break with policy of media-control and commit to restoring                    independence of the media;

·        Dismissal of MBC CEO Kim Jae-Chol and other broadcasters’ CEOs;

·        Conduct of national investigation and hearing on the illegal wiretapping of citizen;

·        To reinstate an rehabilitate dismissed and suspended media workers and;

·        To reform the media regulation in order to support media independence and guarantee freedom of speech

 

 

 

For further information, contact:

IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

UNI APRO/ UNI MEI on [email protected]

 

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 125 countries worldwide

UNI MEI represents 140 unions and guilds and over 300,000 media, entertainment and arts workers globally 

 

Find the IFJ on Twitter: @ifjasiapacific

Find UNI MEI on Twitter: @unimei