Journalists took shelter in the lobbies of government buildings and other places Friday in a bizarre showdown with the government that has shut down most pressrooms in government buildings.
Reporters covering the Foreign Ministry were forced onto the cold floors of the ministry lobby where they set up makeshift work stations with styrofoam and yoga mattresses, seeking power for their computers.
Those at other ministries faced similar circumstances, breaking into small groups while looking for corners of ministry lobbies or other areas.
The move by the Government Information Agency, spearheading what it called far-reaching press reform, came one day after the government cut off all Internet lines at the pressrooms.
The information agency has set up a new, integrated media center for journalists covering most government ministries in Seoul. But the journalists are refusing to move in, saying their departure would leave government officials unchecked.
Officials at the information agency earlier promised to unlock the doors to the now-closed pressrooms to allow journalists to retrieve their personal belongings.
However, they refused to open the doors until after 11 a.m., saying the journalists had been given due notice and appropriate time to arrange the move.
"The issue is not whether the journalists will or should move into the new media center, but whether this so-called reform will actually help improve the environment for journalism or the ways journalists gather information," a news correspondent at the Foreign Ministry said, asking that he not be identified.
A special committee set up by the Association of Korean Journalists later issued a statement calling for the withdrawal of the government plan and the resignation of the head of the information agency.
"We urge the head of the Government Information Agency Kim Chang-ho to take responsibility for blocking freedom of the press and immediately resign from the office," the statement said.
At issue is the legitimacy of the government plan to reduce the number of press rooms. The plan was drawn up soon after President Roh Moo-hyun accused the press corps earlier this year of forming a sort of a cartel against the government.
Critics say that if the change goes ahead, journalists might have to rely on press releases and briefings alone for their stories because of limited access to information and government sources.
Most of presidential candidates and hopefuls, including those of the former ruling Uri Party, have opposed the press reform, while many of them have vowed to reverse the process if elected.