Dear friends:

Lee Myung-bak's New Right government in S. Korea is taking disturbing steps to limit freedom of expression, shut down independent media, and defund media, arts, and cultural organizations across the country. The latest blow is an attack on public media center MediAct, which has played a key part in the democratization of Korea's media system since the end of the dictatorship, trained thousands of people in media production, and developed many successful media policy proposals to open up Korea's mediascape to diverse voices.

Please take action now to express international support for MediAct.

More information below.

       MediAct in Korea has long played a vital role to support alternative and independent film and video production, a critical citizens’ media monitoring movement, and an independent, democratic trade union movement since the late 1980s wave of democracy movement in Korea. They have also collaborated with many of us around the world.

   However, in the past two years, the mediascape and culture sector in South Korea has undergone some drastic changes under the Lee Myung-bak regime/New Right that has taken power as of 2008.

   Now MediAct is facing the crisis of a shut down with the massive and politically motivated budget cutting by Korean government. Thus, we need international voices to condemn the Korean government's attack against the independent media environment in Korea.


1) Sign http://www.gopetition.com/online/33662.html
Media and democracy in South Korea: Save Mediact

2) For updates: Join ACT NOW to save MediAct & Independent Media in Korea! facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=273091817582&ref=nf

3) Call KOFIC's Chairman Cho, Hee Moon  82-2-958-7521
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More info:

Mediact website: http://www.mediact.org

English Intro:
http://tinyurl.com/ygtsoq5

Related Interviews:
http://tinyurl.com/yk36jrl




--
Dorothy Kidd
Associate Professor
Department of Media Studies
University of San Francisco
2130 Fulton St.
San Francisco
94117-1080
415-422-5061
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