The former head of the National Security Planning Agency's old eavesdropping unit "Mirim," a Mr. Gong, proudly says in an SBS interview, "don't get all excited about how [the JoongAng Ilbo] is in mourning. If I started talking [about what he knows] there's no media company that wouldn't be hurt as well." It is sad to see a man who should be called a criminal not even hesitating to issue verbal abuse that might as well be threats for the media as a whole. On the other hand, it also says a lot about the current state of the Korean media when no one is really able to respond when threatened like that.
The comments by former JoongAng Ilbo president Hong Seok Hyun found on the tape recording are actually only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the hidden and shameful behavior of Korea's media owners. Gong's claims seem to back up that impression. The problem is that while covering Gong's comments and the rest of the eavesdropping affair news outlets are fighting each other as if one's misfortune is another's blessing, asking "how are you any better than we are?" instead of engaging in humble self-reflection.
The JoongAng Ilbo has broken its silence and ran an editorial titled "We Are Again Going to Engage in Painful Self-Reflection," but the editorial itself is full of excuses and rationalizations that have nothing to do with the title. When some papers choose to feature Gong's comments in titles with big letters it looks like the product of a shallow strategy to escape a difficult situation by returning fire at other papers.
The other papers are no more honorable. The claim that the National Security Planning Agency secretly recorded the conversations of media owners is naturally something get angry over and demand the truth about. But media outlets are trying hard to ignore Gong's claim and are moving desperately to minimize the effects of what he said. The perfect opportunity for the Korean media to be reborn and escape the tyranny of the owners is gradually being lost as the selfish behavior of each company continues.
The Hankyoreh, 26 July 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] News Outlets That Would 'Be Hurt' |
