[imc-korea] Media and democracy in South Korea: Save Mediact

[Jeffrey Lazar]

Mediact, an important resource for media education and activism is under threat. to read more about it in english see this petition page. 

http://www.gopetition.com/online/33662.html

i posted the petition with background information on the newswire. what do people think about featuring it? 

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We now join those concerned over the regression of democracy in South
Korea that has now taken the form of an attack on Mediact, South
Korea’s first public media center that has since its founding
represented South Korea internationally as a leader in communication
rights and democracy, media literacy, intellectual property rights, and
public interest media.



Since 2002, Mediact has stewarded a contract to support independent
film and video makers, media policy development, lifelong media
education and public access. For seven years, it has provided an
infrastructure focusing on the potential of creating a public media
sector based on both shifting technological possibilities of access to
the media and ongoing political democratization processes taking place
in South Korea. 



Mediact’s facilities are funded by the Korean Film Council (KOFIC),
what is supposed to be an autonomous organization funded by the central
government to promote Korean cinema within the country and overseas,
and an independent activist organization managed by the Association of
Korean Independent Film & Video (KIFV). We are highly alarmed by
the new KOFIC Chairman's recent decision to dismantle Mediact and force
its staff to resign as of February 1.



As Mediact’s counterparts in the international community, we have been
long inspired by Mediact’s visionary leadership in the areas of media
policy, media education, media production and communication rights. We,
the undersigned, urge the government of President Lee Myung-bak to
recognize its responsibility for the democracy that has regressed and
reorient itself as a government that respects the people's sovereignty
and South Korea's continued leadership in media and communication
rights. We ask KOFIC together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and
Tourism to reverse this decision immediately.
 		 	   		  
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