News

NUMW, the Korean union of Media Workers, started a general strike, yesterday, Monday, August 22^nd as part of its campaign for Public Value of Broadcasting and Opposition to direct sales of advertisement for Consolidated TV channels.



Several media corporations including Chosun DailyNewspaper, Joongang DailyNewspaper, DongaDaily Newspaper and Maekyung Daily Newspaper recently got a licence from the government. Bro. Lee Kang-Taek, president of NUMW, said "If newly certified Consolidated TV companies would take direct sales activity for advertisement, existing terrestrial TV companies will follow and the fragile balance within the media industry will collapse and our industry will be turned into a jungle for winner takes it all".



The UNI MEI Executive Committee meeting in New York on 22 and 23 August sent a message of solidarity to colleagues of NUMW. We join our colleagues of NUMW in their action and opposition to new regulation and the Media Representatives Act. The new measures are threatening the sustainability of media pluralism in Korea, UNI MEI President Heinrich Bleicher Nagelsmann said.



Newly certified Consolidated TV companies will start broadcasting from December this year, but the Grand National Party did not submit an amendment bill of Media Representatives Act, which should include Consolidated TV companies. Under the current act, all three terrestrial TV companies are required to sell advertisement through KOBACO (Korea Broadcasting Advertising Corporation). If the broadcasting companies will be allowed take direct sales of advertisement, the clients of advertisement want to influence in the editorial rights which will destroy the public value of broadcasting. The major newspaper companies will be given too much power over the advertising market that will threaten the very existence of smaller regional and religious newspaper companies.