Ssangyong update and other news...

There have been several news updates the last couple days and I unfortunately do not have time to comment on all of them, so here is a quick summary:

-The union at the Ssangyong plant and the management are going to meet later today to discuss ending the current occupation.

-Former Director of the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions, Kim Sang-wan, is going to jail for three years for trying to rape a female union member.

-So far 70 DP legislators have handed over letters of resignation to opposition leader Chung Sye-kun who has already announced his resignation in protest of the GNP ramming through the media reform bills. Opposition parties will also begin a 100-day street protest.

-Many of you have already probably heard of the recent verbal jabs the USA and DPRK have fired at each other at the last ASEAN Regional Forum summit. You might have also heard about that Christian activist that was executed in the DPRK recently. But did you hear about the newest act of defiance within DPRK's borders that is causing a giant crackdown? Korean dramas. Apparently they cannot resist the charms of Rain and Lee Young Ae.

-The ROK is officially the third biggest buyer of US arms behind Israel and Saudi Arabia.

-On July 20th, there was some confrontation between police and protesters. The protesters were forming a march in memory of the Yongsan incident.

It's official...

After months of controversy and strife, the Grand National Party (GNP) has finally rammed through the media reform bills. These bills will increase the amount of stock private groups an own from TV channels. The major fear that opposition parties and progressive groups have is that these TV stations will be bought out by the major corporations of Korea thus creating a oligarchy of television. It is safe to assume that the Cho-Joong-Dong (the three major conservative newspapers in Korea who dominate 58% of the newspaper market) will take out major stock and thus try to influence the news even further.

Though the bill passed the controversy is far from done. Representatives from the Democratic Party has threatened to resign en masse if this is pushed through and are trying to get an injunction to rule the vote illegal (It was voted on twice and you can only vote once on a bill). I do not know what exactly will happen if the Democratic Party resigned from the National Assembly or if an injunction will work. From my understanding of the Korean law system, this would go under the jurisdiction of the Korean Supreme Court.

Either way if there is one bright side to this event it is the fact that the GNP's reign of power is not going to be very long. This media reform was not exactly popular in the first place among the public, and caused Park Geun-hye (who endorsed these bills when she was GNP chairwoman) on procedural grounds (She didn't end up voting because she was blocked out). Then there is that whole media workers strike as well. The GNP, which did poorly at the last round of elections, is probably going to decline further with Park Geun-hye reaping the benefits.