MBC Union Publicizes Walkout on YouTube
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The labor union of MBC, the nation's second largest broadcaster, is promoting their protest against the controversial media-related bills through a video clip on YouTube.
The union, which is staging a walkout against the bill on cross-media ownership, claims that the footage was designed to promote the justice of their collective action, while some criticize it for ``trying to justify the union's selfishness globally.''
In the video clip, the unionized reporters and news readers denounce the bills, which they claimed would damage freedom of speech. In the YouTube clip, they explained the reasons for their walkout in five different languages.
The union resumed the strike Thursday after Ko Heung-kil, chairman of the National Assembly's Committee of Culture, Sports, Tourism, Broadcasting and Communications, invoked his right to table the controversial bill a day before. The governing Grand National Party (GNP)-supported bill seeks to allow print media, news agencies and chaebol to hold major stakes in broadcasters.
Five MBC unionists appear in the news-style video clip, titled ``Message to the World: Fight Against Control of Speech in Korea,'' sending the message in English, Chinese, French, Spanish and Japanese.
``The governing GNP is seeking the legislation of the controversial bills, triggering public anger and jeopardizing freedom of speech,'' an anchorwoman said in English.
In Chinese, another female news reader urged Chinese people to make protest phone calls to Ko and National Assembly Speaker Kim Hyong-o. A male reporter also said in French, ``The combination of conservative newspapers and broadcasting networks will be a catastrophe for Korea's democracy. Most people oppose the bills but the GNP does not listen to them. But the governing camp will not win the hears of the public.''
Internet users are divided over the union's move.
An Internet user with the ID ``bamangae65'' backed the move, urging MBC to ``spread the truth widely and protect freedom of speech.''
But another user, ``bassbin,'' said that the union just wanted to keep their vested interests. Netizen ``federigo'' said, ``The video release is a disgrace to the nation. Korea has laws and principles and does not need to send an SOS worldwide.''
Following the strike by MBC and radio broadcaster CBS, another terrestrial broadcaster, SBS, and cable news channel YTN, joined the move on Monday. Arirang TV, EBS and KBS are also likely to walkout soon.