Democratic Party launches media TF, vows to pass media bills in regular session

The Democratic Party of Korea announced Thursday it will push to pass a series of media-related bills — including revisions to the Government Advertising Act and the Newspaper Act — during the current regular session of the National Assembly.

Party leader Kim Min-seok made the pledge at the inaugural meeting of the Democratic Party's Media Public Interest Strengthening TF, held at the National Assembly on Thursday. "We will make every effort to be good messengers ourselves by putting out good messages, and we will look at all issues from the public's perspective," he said.

Kim said the party must "create an environment in which information is conveyed fairly and accurately — not from the standpoint of politics or a political party, but from the standpoint of the public." He added that while the TF would focus on structural problems as its foundation, it would also "resolve clearly distorted issues, such as the recent normalization of YTN and TBS, accurately and with a sense of stability."

The TF identified its key legislative priorities as amendments to the Government Advertising Act, the News Agency Promotion Act, the Press Arbitration Act and the Newspaper Act, setting a goal of passing all of them on the National Assembly floor during the current regular session.

Rep. Choi Min-hee, who heads the TF, said there is "deep concern that press freedom and the function of the public sphere are not working," adding that she hopes "the media reform legislation will strengthen media public interest and, above all, contribute to forming a public sphere."

Rep. Noh Jong-myeon, who leads her party's side on the committee, said the TF would "conduct a comprehensive review of the situation following the passage of the three broadcasting bills and the revision to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection." He added that the group would "accurately identify and correct the gaps between what the law requires and what is happening in reality."