| 01.15.2005 The Korea Herald Opposition calls for punishment in China fracas U.S. concerned about blocked GNP news conference in Beijing The main opposition Grand National Party yesterday accused China of "diplomatic arrogance" for manhandling GNP lawmakers who tried to hold a news conference in Beijing about North Korean defectors, and demanded the Roh government punish Seoul diplomats responsible for policy on Chinese affairs. The U.S. State Department in Washington also expressed concern about China's use of force to break up the news conference at a hotel in the Chinese capital on Wednesday on the sensitive subject of North Korean defectors. "If China continues to keep its haughty stance to ignore the freedom of the press and oppress foreign lawmakers, it will fail to hold a successful Olympics in 2008, which is an international festival," GNP spokeswoman Chun Yu-ok said. Accusing the government in Seoul of being responsible for the incident with a "flatter and kneel to China" policy line, Chun demanded punishment of the diplomats who are responsible for Chinese affairs. After returning to Seoul from Beijing, GNP lawmaker Kim Moon-su called a news conference to demand that the Chinese government immediately apologize for threatening and using violence against him and his fellow GNP lawmakers, as well as reporters. "If those violent measures were really based on its law, China should present the contents of it (the law) for us to see," he said. "We have told China already that we would take the responsibility if our attempt to hold the conference is found illegal, but there has been no reply." When the GNP lawmakers were about to start their news conference in the Beijing hotel on Wednesday about North Korean refugees, all microphones and lights were suddenly turned off and security officials charged in, pushing and shoving the lawmakers and about 50 reporters out of the room. On Thursday, the day after the incident, the Foreign Ministry in Seoul summoned the Chinese ambassador and demanded an explanation and a promise not to repeat such action but only received a negative response, the ministry said. The Chinese government said its domestic law bans news conferences not approved in advance. But GNP officials said China did not hinder a news conference by U.S. Governor Tom Lantos a few days earlier, arousing doubts that the law was merely an excuse to block out news conferences about issues that disturb Chinese officialdom. China is particularly sensitive about defectors from North Korea, its close ally. Over the years tens of thousands of North Korean defectors have ended up in China and thousands have found their way to South Korea by way of third countries. The GNP lawmakers were on a four-day fact-finding mission to China concerning North Korean defectors and were also trying to establish the fate of a South Korean pastor reportedly abducted by North Korean agents near the border with China five years ago. "If holding a press conference is always something to get a permit in advance under the Chinese law, we would like to know if all the news conferences had been permitted beforehand in the past," said Kim. Before Kim spoke, GNP chairwoman Park Geun-hye met Vice Foreign Minister Choi Young-jin and urged the Foreign Ministry to take resolute measures. "For Korea and China to establish a health relationship, it is crucial for the two to respect each other's sovereignty," she said. The Beijing incident is likely to ignite a new round of anti-China sentiment, like that aroused last year by the Chinese government's distortion of history to claim the ancient Korean Goguryeo kingdom as part of its territory. Many Koreans feel the government should take strict measures to make China apologize and promise to prevent such an incident as Wednesday's from recurring. U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said at his daily press briefing in Washington on Thursday," I would say we are concerned about these reports that Chinese agents might have disrupted a news conference by South Korean legislators in Beijing," Yonhap news agency reported. "We have consistently urged the Chinese to allow people to express themselves, whether it's a press conference or through freedom of assembly or freedom of speech, and whether it's foreigners or Chinese," he said. ([email protected]) By Shin Hae-in |
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