By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
The Ministry of National Defense diverted about 300 million won ($330,000) of its defense budget set aside for modernizing soldiers' barracks to constructing a new pressroom, a lawmaker of the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) said Friday.
The ministry has built a new pressroom and briefing room at a separate building from the main headquarters as part of the government's controversial plan to shut down most pressrooms at government ministries.
Most journalists and political parties are opposing to the plan.
``The money was intended for modernizing barracks and other facilities for soldiers, but the ministry misappropriated the budget to meet the demands of the Government Information Agency,'' said Rep. Maeng-hyung-kyu of the GNP, a member of the National Assembly's National Defense Committee.
Maeng said ministry officials made a false report to Defense Minister Kim Jang-soo that the new pressroom was built using money set aside for remodeling a ministry building.
The ministry cited a ``security issue'' as the main reason for the pressroom's relocation, according to a document submitted to the lawmaker.
The ministry press corps denounces the plan as a move to gag the media and infringe on the freedom of the press.
The press corps has boycotted briefings at the new pressroom, which were open on Nov. 1.
Most journalists covering government agencies are also boycotting to attend briefings or press conferences in new ``consolidated briefing rooms.''
In May, the government announced media guidelines, arguing that it was aimed at upgrading the government's support system for news coverage and meeting global standards.
Under the plan, journalists would be banned not only from entering ministries without permission, but also from meeting civil servants without the approval of the public affairs offices concerned. Journalists can only get information from press releases, official briefings or an online briefing system.
Critics argue that most news articles under the new system would become unbalanced and tilted toward the government. They say this undermines the role of the media as a watchdog, because the country doesn't have effective rules on information disclosure.