The National Union of Media Workers has launched a general strike in protest of the ruling camp’s introduction of bills seeking revisions to media laws.

Starting at 7 am Thursday, unionists of the Munwha Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), one of the nation’s major TV networks began to boycot production. As a result, nonunion members are filling the vacancies left by striking workers.

Unionized members of another top broadcaster, the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS), will convene a meeting Thursday to decide how to counter the ruling Grand National Party’s move to pass the media reform bills.

Union workers at KBS that withdrew from the National Union of Media Workers last year also denounced the GNP's unilateral introduction of the media bills. In a statement on Thursday, the KBS union said it will launch a general strike if the GNP tries to put them to a vote at a plenary session of the National Assembly.

The 22 media reform bills would, among other things, allow major newspapers and conglomerates to own broadcasting companies, including cable TV networks. They would also be allowed to own between a 30 and 49 percent stake in news-only cable channels and other cable networks that will offer a complete range of programming including news and entertainment.

The GNP says revisions to media laws are necessary to respond to the changing media environment and to create jobs. But opposition parties and critics of the media bills say they would result in the monopolization of media markets by a handful of conservative newspapers and conglomerates.

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