Yonhap News reporters oppose chief’s 2nd term

A major stakeholder of the Yonhap news agency, the country’s largest news wire service, on Thursday nominated Park Jung-chan, the incumbent president of the company, as the next president despite fierce opposition from the labor union.

Unionists threatened to do “whatever it takes” to reverse the nomination. If the agency union goes on strike, nearly all news outlets in the country may have serious trouble gathering news.

The Korea News Agency Commission, the largest shareholder in Yonhap, said Park will be recommended as the new president at the shareholders’ meeting on March 21. If approved, he will take the helm for another three years.

“Based on our interview results, we found Park to be more suitable for the job,” the KNAC said in a press release.

But Park’s nomination is expected to deepen the feud between the management and the union.

Park has been denounced by the union for censuring some of the thorniest issues. The union said Park ordered Rep. Choi Ku-sik’s name taken off the article on his assistants’ alleged hacking into the National Election Commission website on Oct. 26. He is also blamed for ordering the news room play down the report on President Lee Myung-bak’s purchase of a housing lot in southern Seoul under his son’s name.

The unionists have been using their holidays on Tuesday and Wednesday to protest the nomination.

“We regret that the KNAC has neglected our voice and favored a person who harmed our fairness, the basis of journalism, among others. This will not be the end. We will continue to spend holidays to continue our struggle,” the union said in a press release.

When asked whether a strike is among the options, a union spokesman answered, “Of course. Anything is possible.”

Yonhap has been receiving government support since 2003 in order to “promote the country’s image” to an international audience. Wikipedia said the law affiliating the media company with the administration has harmed freedom of speech and had an impact on news gathering.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)