GNP demands overall review of IMT project

Reps. Kim Hyong-O and Won Hee-Ryong of the opposition Grand National Party, affiliated with the National Assembly Science-Technology-Telecommunications Committee, held a press conference ahead of the deadline for submissions of business proposals for the IMT-2000 (International Mobile Telecommunications) licenses on Monday. They criticized the government for causing confusion by repeatedly changing stances, and demanded the reconsideration of the screening of IMT-2000 subscribers and the postponement of the deadline for submitting the business plans.

The GNP lawmakers also claimed that Information and Communication Minister Ahn Byong-Yub had made false testimony concerning policy changes and the result of the meeting of the Technology Standards Consultation Committee during the parliamentary inspection session. The lawmakers demanded that Minister Ahn resign and called for the formulation of a pertinent Assembly standing committee to deal with the case.

They also made public the recorded minutes of the technology standards committee meeting and contended that the information-communication ministry deliberately deleted some of the minutes and distorted part of their contents.

The opposition legislators went on to assert that, although the committee members failed to reach a consensus on the joint development of the two technical formats, synchronous and asynchronous systems, the government made a false public announcement. And they claimed that there was no agreement that the abandonment of the synchronous system is a loss to the nation.

The government at first left the decision on technology standards up to the contenders, but changed its policy in favor of the compulsory adoption of the synchronous system on the basis of the outcome of the technology standards consultation committee comprising of civic experts.

Sun Dae-In eodls@donga.com