Media advocacy for communication rights in Sth Korea

SEOUL, KOREA -- A paper from Dongwon Jo, policy researcher at MEDIAct, discussed the role of media movements and policy intervention, in particular that which empowers the independent media networks and the alternative public sphere. This is a draft paper is based on a presentation paper, “Re-considering Active Audiences: South Korean Experiences in strengthening ‘media democracy”, at Asia Pacific Forum on Active Audiences, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, June 25-27, 2004.

1. Historical background on the media in Korea

During 1970-80s, South Korea -- under military dictatorship--- experienced rapid economic growth. This growth was based on the sacrifice of working class people and was marked by a lack of basic human rights and democracy. The mainstream media were basically state-controlled and the freedom of expression was limited by the law or by direct order from the government. Under these circumstances, the movement for democracy and human rights began to grow. People used various independent and alternative media to struggle against the oppression. In the field of audio-visual media, there were three major movements:

1. viewers' watch-dog groups: they provided critical analysis of the mainstream media, initiated a movement to boycott the public/state broadcasters’ viewer fees, organized a media monitoring network, etc.
2. trade union movement in the broadcasting and newspaper industries which is now integrated into “the national union of media workers”, demanding the press reform and fair and just coverage of the social issues.
3. independent film and video movement which provided alternative perspectives to the mainstream media coverage about democracy and human rights issues in general.

Since 1987, the year of the June struggle against the dictatorship and August struggle for union organizing, Korean society has been gradually democratizing. With this fundamental social change, the media landscape has also changed. The censorship law on film and video became abolished by a Supreme Court ruling in 1996, and various forms of democratic (or alternative) media became legal and gained importance with the emergence of a variety of social movements. Among others, there debates have emerged about “citizen’s broadcasting.” The impetus for this were experiences like the establishment of the Hangyere Daily in 1988, a citizen-owned national paper in which the editor-in-chief is directly elected by employees.

However, during the IMF crisis in 1998, when the neo-liberal policies became dominant, another fundamental change became apparent: corporate power in the media has become stronger (although the public service model in the terrestrial broadcasting systems is still in effect). New ICTs were rapidly introduced and broadband internet became part of everyday life (with 80% the highest broadband penetration rate in the world), while economic globalization and neo-liberal policies brought social crises and attacks on basic human rights.

This new situation resulted in new possibilities, challenges and interventions. New media including internet provided greater possibilities for alternative media. This became apparent during the presidential election in 2002 and candle-light demos against the US military. Simultaneous information-sharing, critical debates and discussions by netizens, and others provided effective means for mass mobilization. But these same technologies also brought with them issues such as surveillance, censorship, infrigement of privacy, etc.

Still, new interventions in the media system were gradually made in the name of strengthening a democratic public sphere. And we have made significant progress in some areas, as outlined below. This was a result of a dynamic interaction between cultural politics, technology and media inititatives connected to social movements.

Download the entire paper:

Media-advocacy-comm-rights-Sth-Korea.pdf

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