SBS also Refused to Broadcast GNP General Election Candidates’ Conference

Following the refusal of both KBS and MBC to broadcast the Grand National Party (GNP) general election candidates’ conference, privately-managed SBS also announced its policy on March 19 that broadcasting from the conference is unadvisable. This announcement was followed by the GNP’s announcement on its fight outside the hall.

Min Chun-ki, the head of media relations of the GNP, declared, “At 2:30 p.m. Hong Sung-ju, the head of program organization department, said in a phone conversation, ‘It would be undesirable for SBS to broadcast if KBS and MBC does not. It was decided at the staff meeting’.”

According to this declaration, GNP immediately held an emergency meeting and decided to hold a lecture on the situation in which a guidance division, including five leading candidates for the general election, will participate at the edge of Han River on March 21.

Before this decision, leading candidates such as Hong Sa-duk, Park Kun-hea, Kim Mun-su, Park Jin, and Kwon Oh-eul, declared the joint statement saying, “The refusal of broadcasting is unconvincing and unforgivable arrogance of broadcasting stations.” They also suggested, “Such a sudden refusal to broadcast ahead of general election leads us to suspect if it was the conspiracy for ‘killing GNP’.”

Lee Sang-deuk, the secretary general, and some candidates for the general election visited KBS and MBC to protest against their decision and to ask them for immediate broadcasting.

GNP is deliberating over counter plans, such as a comprehensive meeting outside the hall for censuring broadcasting and the overall prohibition of party members’ appearance and interviews.

Chang Jun-hyung, a deputy spokesperson of the Millennium Democratic Party, criticized, “It would be undesirable if broadcasting reports apply two different standards to the governmental party and non-governmental parties. Considering their one-sided reporting on the impeachment, their negligence on the meeting of non-governmental parties is a violation of the people’s right to know.”

After the three main broadcasting stations’ announcement to refuse broadcasting, it was known that iTV, which has confirmed its broadcasting schedule on general election candidates’ conference, decided to reconsider whether or not it would broadcast, said Ko Heung-kil, a deputy secretary general and a member of the board of Counter Plan on Broadcasting. According to him, local MBCs such as Busan and Daegu are reluctant to broadcast with the reason of the head station’s decision.

Jong-Koo Yoon jkmas@donga.com