YTN union to block Seoul Tower

The labor union of YTN (Yonhap TV News), a cable TV news channel, has resolved to block the three major broadcasting companies¡¯ transmissions from the Seoul Tower atop Mount Nam in the heart of Seoul starting Nov. 27.

YTN in April took over Seoul Tower, which houses transmitting and receiving facilities for TV and radio broadcasting for KBS, MBC and SBS.

The union made the decision in an emergency meeting of its representatives Thursday for the three broadcasting firms that have not paid for using the transmission tower since YTN¡¯s takeover of the tower.

A union spokesman said that the union would block engineers of the three broadcasting companies from entering the tower starting 8 a.m. Nov. 27.

About 50 engineers of the three firms work on a three-shift system daily. If transmission is blocked as planned, TV and radio broadcasting would be halted for the first time in Korean broadcasting history.

YTN took over Seoul Tower for 70.1 billion won, excluding taxes, and had increased the fee for the use of the tower facility by 300-400 percent, but the three broadcasting companies refused to accept the sharp price increase.

The three companies have been refusing to pay the fee since April after they asked the Fair Trade Commission of the government to deliberate on the rate increase.

heo@donga.com