The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) welcomes an agreement between staff and management at South Korea’s YTN to resolve a 259-day dispute over editorial independence at the broadcaster.
On April 1, staff representatives and YTN management concluded five days of closed-door negotiations with a nine-point agreement, under which both sides will seek to develop and implement a code for editorial independence at the broadcaster, according to the Journalists’ Association of Korea (JAK).
“The IFJ trusts that YTN’s management has acknowledged the primary importance of editorial integrity and quality to journalists and media workers who have shown such commitment to promoting excellence in their profession and to upholding the democratic values of press freedom,” IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
According to JAK, an IFJ affiliate, YTN managers pledged to cancel all legal complaints against staff members, while the union will withdraw all complaints but one regarding dismissal and disciplinary measures taken against staff during the eight-month dispute.
However, decisions on the reinstatement of six sacked journalists will be left to the courts, while the staff understand that salaries will be frozen for 12 months.
The union ended an 11-day strike today and agreed not to harass YTN’s president, Gu Bon-Hong. Last year’s appointment of Gu, a former aide to South Korean President Myung-Bak Lee, had triggered concerns about potential political influence on the broadcaster.
“We look forward now to seeing YTN management show good faith by acting quickly to reinstate all sacked workers and to ensure the withdrawal of all legal cases and disciplinary penalties imposed on YTN staff over the past eight months. This step will set a standard by which press freedom advocates can evaluate press freedom in South Korea,” Park said.
As a result of the anticipated withdrawal of YTN’s complaints, it is expected that YTN union chairman Jong-Myun Roh will be released today from a detention facility near Seoul. He has been detained for 12 days since being arrested ahead of the union’s strike action.
However, it is unclear whether the case against Roh will be fully closed.
“YTN workers are to be commended for their long struggle in defence of editorial integrity and journalistic quality in South Korea,” Park said.
“The IFJ remains prepared to assist YTN staff and management in developing a charter of editorial independence and professionalism for YTN, and acting as a mediator in event of disagreements.”
For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919
The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries worldwide