SEOUL -- As so often, one opinion stands against another: South Korea's opposition party has leveled an accusation against the government that by launching a tax investigation of the media it is in effect waging a war against the press. The government retorts that the tax investigation is a routine matter, and the National Tax Service is only doing its job. Many things have been said in this seemingly endless debate regarding the role of the media and its relationship with the government. One of the more shocking remarks was made by a prominent politician with presidential ambitions. This minister was quoted as telling reporters, "It is time for the politicians to wage war on the press." I had to read this sentence several times to actually believe what I saw printed there in black on white. This is an unacceptable statement from a fundamental democratic point of view, and one must ask whether the politician was in full control of his senses when he spoke.
In the current controversy over the media, the protagonists employ the most belligerent vocabulary: It is hardly a recommendation for the quality of a political culture when the adversaries use military terms to communicate. But the debate is not about style, although I think this always plays a role. It is mainly about political substance.
It is not easy for a foreigner to comment on this matter, or to use as a benchmark in the discussion the state of media relations in so-called advanced democracies. Obviously, the standards applicable to the South Korean press are very different. In Germany, for instance, it goes without saying that all media companies pay taxes. Whenever there is the slightest cause of doubt regarding the accuracy of a fiscal declaration, again it goes without saying that the tax authorities are obliged to investigate.