🚀 go-pugleaf

Videazimut has been asked to forward the following information and
request for letter of protest.  For more information, please
contact the person mentioned below.

>Please read the following document and fax your letter to
Ministry of
>Audio/Video in Seoul, Korea.  Also please send me a copy of your
letter.
>
>Thank you very much for your support.
>
>Letter to: Ministry of Audio and Video
>                Fax) 82-2-738-8196
>
>Copy to: Hye Jung Park
>        Fax) 212-529-4581 or 212-219-0248
>        e-mail: park@dctvny.org
>
>
>
>        ABOLISH THE ANTI-DEMOCRATIC VIDEO CENSORSHIP ACT IN
KOREA!!!!!!
>
>        WE DEMAND THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF PURN PRODUCTION
REPRESENTATIVE,
>                                MR. KIM DONG-WON!
>
>
>        RETURN ALL VIDEOTAPES AND EDITING EQUIPMENT OWNED BY PRUN
PRODUCTION
>                            CONFISCATED DURING THE RAID!!!
>
>
>        On June 14th 1996, Seoul, Korea, Mr. Dong-Won, the
representative
>of the independent documentary production group, Purn Production,
and the
>film/video committee chairman of NFCA(National Federation for
Alternative
>Culture) both located in Seoul, Korea, was charged for the
violation of
>the Audio and Video Censorship Act and arrested.  All videotapes
and
>editing equipment owned by Purn Production were confiscated.
>        Founded in 1991, Purn Production is a Korea based
non-profit video
>production group whose mission has been to provide alternative
media to
>the public.  As a grassroots organization, Purn Production has
maintained
>its focus as anti-oppression. especially those imposed by strict
>government control and accordingly during its 5 year long
history, and
>more than 30 documentaries covering socially conscious issues, it
has
>established itself as one of the leading groups that has given
voice to
>the people of Korea.  Taking a significant role in the democratic
media
>movement under military dictatorship, Purn Productions has been
subject to
>various  forms of oppression.  However, the June 14th raid came
as a major
>shock that such extreme measures have been taken under the first
>non-military civilian government.
>        The legal foundation for such raiding is based upon the
Audio and
>Video Censorship Act newly passed this June.  The new act is an
extension
>of the Act Relating Video Works, article 17, which mandatres the
"any
>person who desires to produce video works or to obtain a license
for
>import, carrying-in for the purpose of selling, distributing,
lending,
>offering for showing them shall be in advance subject to a
censorship of
>the Public Performance Ethics Committee."  The violation of this
law as
>statd in article 26 on Penal provision results in, "imprisonment
for not
>more than two years, a feni not exceeding ten million won,
(equivalent of
>12,500 dollars)."  Last year NFAC and the Lawyers Group for a
Democratic
>Society opposed to the extreme restrictive provisions which
prevent a
>healthy creative atmosphere on a legislative level.  Concerned
over the
>new act's capability to regulate rigorous creative activities by
civilians
>who produce non-commercial videowork, the Democratic Lawyers
Group even
>suggested specific alternatives.
>        However except for an indication of a repeal on advanced
>censorship for record productions, the act was passed with no
revisions
>made the lack of clarity that these legislative such as Purn
Production to
>decide whether they were still required to register or not.  The
series of
>events that has happened proved this concern to be true.
>        Although such an incident is a follow-up on the newly
amended
>Audio and Video Act, we stil believe that there is no ground for
the
>arrest of Mr. Kim Dong-Won and the search and confiscation of
video
>equipment owned by his non-profit video production, Purn
Production, this
>is because even within the revised act, it is not required for
video
>productions without the intent for commercial profit to register.
>Moreover, the poses the enchroachment of human rights as these
extreme
>measures were carried out without resolving the ongoing debate of
the
>unconstitutionality of advanced censorship provisions.  In the
case of
>advanced censorship provisions on films, the court has recognized
the
>violation of constitutional rights these provisions present and
has placed
>a request with the Constitutional Court to determine their
>unconstitutionality.  Also according to the preliminary notice on
the
>Audio and Video Censorship Act enforcement ordinace article 19,
"any
>Korean video which is produced for educational, religious,
industrial, and
>training use and its recognized as sanctioned to article 20" will
not be
>subject to advanced censorship.  By proving itself as an
educational
>organization, it is obvious that Purn Production has immunity to
such an
>enforcement ordinance.  However by arresting Mr. Kim even before
the
>ordinance was put into effect makes us very suspicious of an
underlying
>political intention.
>
>        Before being able to fully enjoy the joy and hope that
came from
>the abolishment of the record examinations in free performance,
it is
>inevitable to see this incident as new shackles on the emerging
visual
>medium from production registration to mandatory censorship.
Under a
>non-military civilian government where democracy should be the
main
>direction, we can only see this clamp down on a young non-profit
producer
>whose desires lie in the creation of a democratic culture and
environment
>as an anti-cultural act of oppression.
>        Thus the members of the NFAC and other alternative media
groups
>demand the immediate release of Mr. Kim Dong-Won along with the
return of
>the items confiscated from Purn Production.  In addition, we will
strive
>to achieve a total revision on the anti-democaretic video laws
and
>therefore call for your participation and support for the
struggle to
>abolish censorship.
>        Tahnk you for your cooperation. For further information
and
>inquiries please contact:
>
>Purn Production:  Tel) 011-82-2-823-9124
>                  Fax) 011-82-2-823-9125
>
>
>Sincerely,
>Purn Production
>National Federation for Alternative Culture
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>                             SAMPLE LETTER
>                       please revise it as you wish
>
>
><LETTERHEAD>
>
DATE
>
>
>
>Mr. Kab-Soo Kim, Deputy Director
>Ministry of Culture and Sports
>Video and Audio Division
>Seoul, Korea
>
>Dear Mr. Kim,
>
>
><FIRST PARAGRAPH: description of your organization>
>
>
>        To our dismay, we have been notified that the
representative of
>Korea's foremost indepedent video production, Purn Production's
>representative Mr. Kim Dong-Won was arrested on June 14th, 1996,
along
>with various video items confiscated durign the raid.  We are
both amazed
>and shocked that such an act has been conducted under a
non-military
>civilan government.
>        We have believed that the peaceful transfer from a
military
>government to a non-military civilian government has changed the
political
>atmoshpere in Korea to a more open and less controlled one.
Unfortunately
>Mr. Kim's arrest proves this belief lacks foundation.
>        Independent video has proved its role as the facilitator
of
>democracy.  By recognizing this contribution, most countries have
issued
>policies that subsidize the activities of independent video.
Accordingly
>in order for the Korean government to show the world that they
support
>democracy as they proclaim, we firmly believe that it is now time
for them
>to carry out this point by lifting the unjust bans that have
suffocated
>independent film and video activities in Korea.
>        In this context, we support Purn Production and the
National
>Federation for Alternative Culture's effort to achieve the
immediate
>release of Mr. Kim Dong-Won and the return of video items and
editing
>equipment that has been confiscated from Purn Production,
Furthermore we
>uphold their demand for the abolition of the anti-democratic
Audio and
>Video Censorship Act.
>
>
>Sincerely,

Forwarded by:

**********************************************************
Videazimut  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
3680, rue Jeanne-Mance, bureau 430  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Montreal, Quebec  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
Canada H2X 2K5   .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .
telephone 1 514 982 6660   fax 1 514 982 6122  .  .  .  .  .
email: videaz@web.net    (or   videaz@web.apc.org)
**********************************************************