The question of whether it's appropriate for her to be the chairwoman of the board of directors of the Jangsu Scholarship Foundation begins with the foundation's origins. Once upon a time it was called the 'May 16 Scholarship Foundation,' and the precise process through which that earlier organization was created has not yet been established. It was created two years after the coup d'etat of May 16, 1961, with stock from the Busan Ilbo and Busan MBC broadcasting, then owned by the Busan businessman Kim Ji Tae. Officially, it was a "voluntary donation" by Kim that gave birth to the foundation, and that's what Park maintains. Kim's family, however, claims their assets were forcibly "seized." The lawlessness of the military dictatorship at the time is still to fresh in one's memory to question Kim's family's version of events. The Jangsu Scholarship Foundation is worthy of being quoted as evidence of the strong fisted rule at the time, when assets were seized at gunpoint. It is a dark remnant of the era of dictatorship.

Should the head of the opposition party virtually own a news organization? It would be worth looking at how the foundation has been used as a means to manipulate the press over the last 40 odd years. Reporters at the Busan Ilbo have been voicing their views on the matter recently. The foundation owns 100 percent of Busan Ilbo's shares, and ever since Park was made chairwoman of the GNP, reporters there have complained about the paper's biased and partial coverage in her favor. The foundation owns as much as 30 percent of Munwa Broadcasting (MBC). Park should cut off all connections to these media, in order to prevent the dangers that come with deep connections between politicians and the news media.

It would be dishonorable for Park to maintain her position as charwoman of the board of directors at the Jangsu Scholarship Foundation. 40 years of "legality" do not make things legitimate. Park has apologized for the suffering that came from the iron fist of the dictatorship. It's time she put her words to action. We await her decision.

The Hankyoreh, 27 July 2004.

[Translations by Seoul Selection (PMS)]