MBC bans cool people, more cool people get together and protest

[loverboy.livejournal.com]

A group of celebrities have pledged not to appear on MBC in protest of the broadcaster’s decision to ban entertainers who engage in social activism from appearing on its programs.

Concert director and producer Tak Hyun-min said Monday that he and 12 others will not appear on MBC shows.

The statement came after the broadcaster banned a planned regular appearance on a radio program by actress Kim Yoh-jin, who has adamantly expressed opinions on socially sensitive issues, by blacklisting her.

“The blacklist is designed to censor people’s opinions. MBC officials said they devised the rule to maintain political neutrality, but actually it aims to oust people they don’t like,” Tak said.

The lecturer at Sungkonghoe and Hanyang universities presented a “three-steps, one ‘f-word gesture’” performance, parodying the Buddhist “three-steps, one-kowtow” practice, in front of the MBC building in central Seoul.

He announced a list of celebrities who joined his move, including popular novelist Gong Ji-young, Seoul National University professor Cho Kuk, gay film director Kim Jho Gwang-soo, culture critic Kim Gyu-hang and film director Yeo Gyun-dong.

“If more people join me, I’ll announce their names every Monday through Twitter,” Tak said.


One of the celebrities, Semyung University professor Jae Jeong-im who has appeared on a radio show for nearly four years, said a day earlier via Twitter that she will not work in protest against the list.

“It infringes on the freedom of speech and freedom of expression, guaranteed by the Constitution. It bans people from saying what they believe, whether they are conservative or progressive,” she said.

MBC recently announced the blacklist of people who have openly supported or opposed specific figures or organizations concerning socially sensitive issues, and they cannot appear on its shows.

The move comes just days before actress Kim was to appear as a panelist on a current affairs radio show twice a month.

Kim tweeted “I’m not that scary a person” in response to MBC’s decision.

Legal action planned

Regarding the list, a group of junior radio program directors of MBC said in a statement Friday, “Senseless censorship and political pressure continues to be applied. It is a result of the involvement of executives including President Kim Jae-chul.”

The MBC union also said it will take legal action against management, saying the guideline defines anchors and reporters as “regular performers” and is feared to infringe on the freedom of expression.

Progressive culture critic Chin Jung-kwon said on his Twitter that he doesn’t understand the list, which he claims allows the appearance of a lawyer openly making political remarks and bans that of an entertainer making remarks in the public interest.

He mentioned conservative lawyer Jun Won-tchack, who regularly appears on the radio program in question. “Jun was spokesman of the Liberty Forward Party. Why are people like Jun, who are deeply involved in politics, allowed to appear without question?”

source: koreatimes

Some old news about Kim Yeo Jin and the dastardly deeds she's doing to make MBC ban her.

Comments

[devilstay.livejournal.com]

Good. I hope like to see people reacting to stuff like this. The media has enough power as it is. I hope that this year and the next, is the year that the powerful media elite get thrown out of there gold heaven and back down to earth, where they belong. Murdoch is already on the downfall, all it takes is one man to pull down an empire.

It isn't easy and who knows what the consequences may be, but senseless censorship to ignite fear in people, and stop them from questioning authority is wrong, and although our democracy is tainted and not the perfect system we want it to be, or should be, it's still something worth fighting for.

It's about time, some people on the top learned that the media is not only free, but it's for the people to express there freedom.

[bauci.livejournal.com]

iawtc

[suzieeq-luv.livejournal.com]

great comment

[lazmy.livejournal.com]

tell 'em!

[deerlike.livejournal.com]

Hear, hear.

[ghina93.livejournal.com]

/applause

[hitsujiga.livejournal.com]

thumbs up

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

A+.

[yolleh.livejournal.com]

Murdoch is already on the downfall

I am so sick of the phone tapping scandal, seriously.
I feel that it's so much bigger than anyone could imagine and the government as well as the police are all in this.
The death of the whistle blower (Sean) just riled me up even more because it was so blatant that he was killed off.

I hate how the media dominates EVERYTHING and feels no remorse for crushing the 'little people'

[lobotronic.livejournal.com]

+1

This is an especially powerful protest in Korea, because the control that the government and corporations have on the media is staggering.

[hitme.livejournal.com]

wow, im glad people are seeing that what mbc is doing is wrong

[grapewhine.livejournal.com]

Seriously, what is wrong with them.

[plantbottle.livejournal.com]

I'm glad that people are taking action. This is just ridiculous.

[weerainbow.livejournal.com]

The whole entertainment business in Korea seems to be packed full of problems, seriously.

[831panda831.livejournal.com]

this , and it comes with a bonus package of bullshit

[ingenu3.livejournal.com]

I like how south Korea tries to be westernized
But still get stuck in shit issues like this
=^^=

[gumiho.livejournal.com]

I think the phrase you're looking for is, "is modernizing, like any ex-war-torn country would be."

Also, I'm pretty sure Singapore isn't a haven of free speech.

[ingenu3.livejournal.com]

what a mouthful that is but ;)

Singapore and
free speech shouldn't be in the same line

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

I guess all asian country seems to have this problem, we don't have any rights for free speech.

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

IA. I'm loving it here, but I'll be happy to be back home and able to talk shit about our royal family.

And then all that protesting stuff went down in Kuala Lumpur. Ugh. Stupid governments are stupid.

If so many people want to protest against something, then maybe this is something that needs to change. The ancient argument of: "Protests will lead to instability" is such a load of bull. Sometimes instability is needed to fix an old problem. Accept this already.

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

Agreed, i'm from Malaysia and i love my country but it's suffocating that we have so much restriction from the government.

I wasn't exactly agree with the demonstration initially but i realised that maybe demonstration are probably the only way now to make a change in the country and for us to be heard. I guess the people are no longer stupid enough to believe the government and their corrupted ways.

[atarashiiyoake.livejournal.com]

Even if I don't agree with a lot of demonstrators, that's the price you pay for free speech, I guess. I'm sure a lot of people disagree whit me when I rant about how great DBSK/JYJ are and that everyone should listen to them, or that being vegetarian/vegan in my opinion is better than eating meat. But still, I value being allowed to have my own opinion and to stand up for it.

We have freaking neo-nazis protesting in the country every once in a while. Do I agree with them? Of course not. It makes me want to run up to them and punch them. But like I said, that's the price you pay for free speech.

Any government scared of free speech knows there's something wrong with what they're doing. That should really just make the general public more concerned.

[modestgoddess79.livejournal.com]

“three-steps, one ‘f-word gesture’”

this needs to become a macro

[lil-rach-angel.livejournal.com]

Apparently somebody made sure to take an extra helping of moron juice when they made this decision.