By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
The Journalist Association of Korea (JAK) Friday voted to refuse to accept the administration's plans to shut down most of its pressrooms in government offices.
The government, however, is going ahead with the closure as planned regardless of the association's objections, which will likely trigger further conflict.
Fourteen members of the association's 20-person committee voted against the plan, and offered some recommendations to help journalists cover the administration.
The JAK will attempt to negotiate with the government regarding the suggestions that call for reporters to be able to freely contact public servants, and for the preservation of pressrooms in some government ministries.
The government expressed discontent over the association's refusal but announced it will forge ahead with the closure to ``reform'' the media, saying there would be ``no more negotiations.''
Presidential spokesman Cheon Ho-seon said it is regrettable that the journalist association rejected announcements of the joint statement which the government and five news outlets had agreed on.
``We will try to perform most of the 14 clauses in the statement, except for one or two which we cannot carry out without the association,'' he said.
The government is expected to make a contract with a company next week to build a briefing center that will replace the existing pressrooms.
Construction will be completed by late August, a government official said.
In March, the Government Information Agency initiated the controversial measure to close most government office pressrooms, except for those in complexes in Seoul, Daejeon and Gwacheon.
President Roh Moo-hyun who supports the idea has shown a firm stance to produced a so-called ``developed news support system.''
The government's policy to shut down pressrooms has caused a dispute with the press.
Last Tuesday, some lawyers and journalists of the Munhwa Ilbo newpaper filed a constitutional petition against the closure insisting that it infringes on the basic rights of the people and the media.