`Media Suppression By Targeting Owners`

The Grand National Party`s Special Committee to Defend the Freedom of the Press (chairperson Park Kwan-Yong) issued a statement on Monday and criticized the government saying that ``the Kim Dae-Jung administration`s media suppression is unfairly carried out by targeting some press companies and owners.``

Asking ``why the government try to make our media a bugler of the ruling regime, like North Korea`s Rodong Shinmun or Pyongyang Broadcasting?`` the Special Committee asserted that ``the prosecution was not reporting any interim findings, but leaked certain information branding some journalists as shameless criminals.``

Along with this, the Special Committee said it could not but asked whether broadcasting companies, which have been taking the lead of destroying critical journalists, were playing the role of prosecution`s propaganda spreaders. The Special Committee raised a suspicion by asking, ``Aren`t pro-government media and some other organizations mobilized and controlled by the government`s strategy of media suppression?``

The Special Committee also said, ``We will never compromise or concede some of organizations` behavior that attempt to justify the media suppression while wielding language violence.``

Jang Kwang-Kuen, head spokesperson, said, ``Recall of the owners of the newspaper companies and the following arrest are anticipated beginning in this week. However, arrest of the owners should be reconsidered. If they have problems, the government should allow them an opportunity of self-reform. Arresting them as shameless criminals is to deny the social contributions those newspaper have made.``

Kim Jeong-Hun jnghn@donga.com