Pressrooms in Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency to Close

The government has decided to shut down pressrooms in the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency and turn them into an open briefing room that does not provide any separate facilities for journalists covering these government institutions.

An official from the Government Information Agency said on Thursday, “The government decided not to leave any separate pressrooms for journalists when it turns existing pressrooms in the Seoul District Prosecutors’ Office and Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency into open briefing rooms. The transformation was already discussed with media groups.”

If the construction is completed, no room will be available for journalists from major dailies and TV stations currently assigned to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.

Before the final decision was announced, prosecutors and police were reluctant to confirm any speculations surrounding the proposed plan, constantly saying, “Nothing is decided yet.”

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