Opposition Party Declares Protest Against The Suppression of Media

The Grand National Party (GNP) held a `Condemnation of Kim Dae-Jung Government`s Suppression of the Media` rally yesterday attended by the 500 party members to protest against the government’s suppression of media. Lee Hoi-Chang, president of the GNP, said that ``the current government’s media reform is moving toward the suppression of freedom of the press under the name of the removal of the owners’ influence. We will crush the government`s plot that seeks for the extension of power and destruction of freedom of the press.`` GNP leader Lee also asked, ``President Kim Dae-Jung guaranteed the fairness of the investigation based on the assertion that the investigations by the National Tax Service and the Far Trade Commission were fair. If the tax penalty is cut down even by a penny during the legal procedure, how could he take responsibility for that?``

Park Kwan-Yong, head of the GNP’s Press Freedom Committee, said, ``Let’s come out for the democratization protest to maintain the freedom of the media, which is at the crossroads of life and death. We will uncover the truth behind the Kim government`s scheme to reorganize the media circle and will reveal it to the public.``

Reps. Hong Sa-Duk and Jung Byung-Kuk said ``if the media lost its critical function, the essence of the nation will change. Tax probe is in fact a massacre of the media disguised under the name of legality.``

The GNP said in its `letter to the people`, adopted at the rally, that ``The Kim Dae-Jung government is busy with killing the media as well as the opposition party, along with an effort to invite the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, while the people suffer in distress. We will maximize our struggle against the dictatorial government that attempts to suppress the media.``

Meanwhile, the Millennium Democratic Party spokesperson Jeon Yong-Hak issued a commentary and said that ``the opposition`s rally that condemns the government’s fair tax audit is merely a `protection rally for the tax evasion`, beginning from a plan to instigate national chaos by exploiting the tax audit for political purpose.`` Jeon also said that ``we suggest the GNP to hold the rally at the Kwangwhamoon Intersection instead of indoors. They should cancel the rally which mocks the people who pay their taxes.``

Yoon Young-Chan yyc11@donga.com