Information Minister Assailed

Opposition lawmakers on Tuesday accused the head of the Government Information Agency of supporting the "biased" coverage by television news organizations of the tax inquiry into 23 national media. The opposition Grand National Party claims that the inquiry targeted print media.

Minister Oh Hong-keun, head of the information agency, lashed out at the press earlier in the week saying, "several media companies are misleading the public" on the issue of the tax inquiry.

And at a meeting of the National Assembly's Culture and Tourism Committee on Tuesday, Rep. Park Chong-ung of the Grand National Party took issue with Mr. Oh's criticism.

"His statement demonstrates that the Government Information Agency is helping to subjugate the press and prop up the administration," Mr. Park said.

Opposition legislator Ko Heung-kil accused broadcasters of backing print media into a corner and making them out to be the major culprits in tax evasion, for which the National Tax Service slapped the national media firms with 506 billion won ($390 million) in fines for back taxes.

"The attack by broadcast news networks on print media can be used by the government to rein in the press," Mr. Ko said.

Rep. Choung Byoung-gug, also of the opposition party, said, "the unbalanced reporting by the networks is fueling a conflict between broadcast and print."

But representatives of the ruling Millennium Democratic Party rose to Mr. Oh's defense.

"Mr. Oh's actions show that the agency is actively countering false and biased reporting by domestic and foreign media," said ruling party Rep. Shim Jae-kwon.

In response Mr. Oh, a former journalist himself, said "I believe several media companies are corrupt, supporting the interests of the established class.

He added that he believes four media companies are leading the criticism of the National Tax Service's decision in the inquiry.

by Noh Jae-hyun