In an editorial published Friday, the Chosun Ilbo said 29 Cheong Wa Dae and government officials had been part of the Hankyoreh's "second founding members" and that the are in a "parade of public servants who've lost their sanity." The Chosun Ilbo editorial also attacks the Hankyoreh, advising it that "the media's success or failure depends not on whether it has the support of those in power, but on readers and viewers who observe the media."
Some 1,936 individuals from all areas of society are members of the Hankyoreh's rebirth, it's "second founding," and among those there are members of both the Grand National Party (GNP) and the Democratic Labor Party (DLP). Two people, one from each of those parties, are even on the committee organizing the "second founding" process. The Chosun Ilbo surely knows that. It would know that because the list was made public months ago. Established figures in our society who represent conscientious judgment are participating in large numbers, so taking the names of a few on that list to go on about "support from government powers that be" is a demonstration of the behavior of a newspaper that engages in dirty distortions as everyday practice.
If the Chosun Ilbo truly fears its readers it will take a look at its own behavior. Is it readers' will to have a "nepotistic media" run by the tyranny of its owner? Did it actively cooperate with imperial Japan and Korean dictatorships for readers' sake? We send the Chosun Ilbo's undo advice right back at it. A newspaper's success or failure is determined by its readers, who watch it and issue judgment based on what they see.
It is none other than Hankyoreh readers who are participating in the Hankyoreh's development fund drive. One person who delivers newspapers by scooter each day has joined in, and people in a homeless shelter donated cash they'd collected as well. Eight woman laborers who had become addicted to n-Hexane in the course of their work sent in W1 million saying they had received treatment thanks to the Hankyoreh's continuous coverage of the issue. The Chosun Ilbo must bear commensurate responsibility for defaming the character not only of the Hankyoreh as a company but also the many who collected cash to give to the development fund.
The Hankyoreh, 24 September 2005.
[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]
[Editorial] The Chosun Ilbo's Outrageous Behavior |
