[Opinion] Press Room in Police Headquarters

In an attempt to shut down the press room located in a corner of the second floor of its headquarters in Migeun-dong, Seoul, the National Police Agency (NPA) cut off the Internet connection on Saturday and heating and electricity on Monday. Moreover, the power lines of the corridor in front of the press room were also cut on Tuesday Morning. I went there on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Although other offices and outside areas were brightly lit by electric lights, the press room was dimly lit by a couple of candles. Journalists, who refused to be evicted from the press room, were writing articles under the candlelight. It was cold inside. Journalists took turns throughout the night to protect the press room.

This is the result of the so-called Advanced Media Support System, which was spearheaded by President Roh Moo-hyun. The so-called Participatory Government has been limiting the people’s participation and the purportedly pro-democracy forces have been taking the lead in the anti-democratic movement. The Advanced Media Support System is an empty title or a mask for the Participatory Government which continues in its quest to thwart news coverage activities. From behind this mask, the Roh administration has been trampling on the people’s right to know by hindering journalists from doing their jobs. The incumbent administration has been blocking reporters from accessing sources in order to render them unable to write stories promptly or accurately. This is a far more cunning means of media suppression than the oppressive media policies of the past military regimes.

While National Police Agency correspondents were writing articles, relying on candlelight and laptop batteries, 13 senior police officers, including a spokesman, were in Japan on a five-day excursion. Although it was arranged under the guise of learning how pressrooms in Japanese police stations are operated, it was, nonetheless, a tour on the taxpayers’ dime. According to the itinerary of the travel agency, they visited a hot spring every day, except for the first day. A total of 12.5 million won or 0.96 million won per officer was granted for the tour. Eight officers even took their wives by spending extra money from their own pockets.

Dispatched by the NPA, one police officer works at the Korean embassy in Tokyo under the title of foreign affairs cooperation officer. His rank is deputy assistant commissioner. If he was asked to do the job, he would have been able to report every detail on how pressrooms in Japanese police stations are run within a matter of days. There was absolutely no need to make such a big fuss by sending a group of police officers, all paid for by the taxpayers, in the first place. Perhaps, the NPA was more interested in investigating the quality of Japan’s spring water.

Heo Mun-myeong, Editorial Writer, angelhuh@donga.com