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A press coalition gathers in front of the Dong-a Ilbo in Seoul to call on the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-a Ilbo to reflect on their past and present actions regarding suppression of a free press on Oct. 24, the 45th anniversary of a statement endorsing freedom of the press released by reporters from the Dong-a Ilbo who opposed the Park Chung-hee dictatorship’s suppression of press freedom during the 1970s. (Kim Bong-gyu, staff photographer)

On Oct. 24, a press conference was held calling for the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo, both South Korean daily newspapers, to express remorse and apologize for their behavior both past and present. Oct. 24 was the 45th anniversary of a statement endorsing freedom of the press that was released by reporters from the Dong-a Ilbo who opposed the Park Chung-hee regime’s control of the press.

The press conference, held in front of the Dong-a Ilbo building in Seoul’s Jongno District on Thursday afternoon, was organized by a coalition of civic groups that want the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo to reckon with their actions over the past century. “The Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo need to sincerely reflect upon a 100 years of lies and treachery. They need to repent for their crimes in front of 80 million Koreans,” the coalition said.

The coalition was brought together to counteract the big events and massive coverage planned by the two newspapers, which will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of their establishment next year. There are a total of 57 press groups and other NGOs taking part in the coalition, including the Korea Organization for Press Freedom, the National Union of Mediaworkers, and the Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media, as well as the Dong-a Committee for Defending a Free Press and the Chosun Committee for Defending a Free Press.

“Less than half a year after the freedom of press statement was made on Oct. 24, 1974, the well-connected owner of the Dong-a Ilbo, in collusion with the Yushin dictatorship [of Park Chung-hee], fired 113 reporters, producers, and announcers who were pushing strongly for freedom of the press. This tyrannical act was a naked betrayal of the people’s desire for the restoration of democracy and a free press, and especially of the democratic citizens who filled blank advertising pages with messages of encouragement at a time of economic difficulty,” the group said in a statement read during the press conference.

“The Chosun Ilbo also fired 32 reporters who had taken a lead in the free press movement. By adopting a resolute policy of no tolerance for reporters who had called for freedom of the press and resisted the dictatorial regime, the owner of the Chosun Ilbo reassured the regime and turned its back on the public,” the group said.

“These two newspapers betrayed the people who longed for the restoration of democracy and a free press; they shamefully ran into the arms of the dictator in a blatant attempt to stay in business and gladly served as the sycophants of the Yushin dictatorship.”

Remonstrating the Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo for their current actions

In addition to past action by the newspapers, the group also remonstrated with them for their present behavior. “The Chosun Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo stand in the vanguard of the far-right conservative press, which is the greatest obstacle to progress in our country today. It’s becoming clearer that, until that obstacle is toppled, we won’t be able to achieve the future of which we dream. We reject the false and wicked press. The right and duty to rectify the press belongs to the people, and the power to do so derives from them as well.”

Following the press conference, 29 former journalists dismissed by the Chosun Ilbo and the Dong-a Ilbo — including Lee Bu-yeong, director of the Korea Organization for Press Freedom; Kim Jong-cheol, chair of the Dong-a Committee for Defending a Free Press; Shin Hong-beom, chair of the Chosun Committee for Defending a Free Press; and Hyeon Yi-seop, co-chair of the Association of Journalists Fired in 1980 — marched in a procession past the Dong-a Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo buildings to the press center. After every three steps, they bowed to the ground, to symbolize their opposition to those newspapers.

The group has more activities planned for the future: they will be protesting the 100th anniversary of the two newspapers, refuting misleading reports about their histories, and releasing a list of journalists who collaborated with the Japanese empire and Park’s dictatorship.

By Shin Ji-min, staff reporter

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