History of newspapers in Korea

Did You Know?

• After Korea's independence from Japanese rule, the media was divided into left and right wing factions.
• The left-wing group took the lead in the press by first taking control of the facilities for printing newspapers.
• The Communist Party of Korea received the Gonozawa Printing Office in Sogong-dong, Seoul, which was the best facility at the time.

Joseon period

Japanese newspapers had a significant influence on Korean newspaper history, though after the Chōsen shinpō no new Japanese papers arose in Korea until around 1890. Scholar Park Yong-gu suggests this may have been due to worsened Japan–Korea ties after the 1882 Imo Incident. Korean emissaries visiting China and Japan observed the proliferation of newspapers there. The Hansŏng sunbo, the first native Korean newspaper, was published on October 31, 1883, written in Classical Chinese. Subscriptions were sold to both public servants and private citizens, though public servant readers were likely more common. It ceased circulation in December 1884 due to the Kapsin Coup. A weekly successor, Hansŏng chubo, began on January 25, 1886, and was shut down in 1888 for lack of government funds. The first private Korean newspaper did not appear until 1896; until then most newspapers in Korea were Japanese. Japanese traders and settlers arrived in increasing numbers, and Incheon's Japanese population grew notably by 1890. Japanese newspapers emerged there for settlers, including the Jinsen Keijō kakushū shōhō (later called Chōsen shinpō, unrelated to the 1881 publication). These and other Japanese papers in the 1890s focused mainly on commerce news and statistics, with current events secondary. The 1894–1895 First Sino-Japanese War was a significant period for Japanese newspapers in Korea. The Japanese government intervened directly, issuing an order that newspapers consult authorities before publishing anything potentially controversial about the war. Some papers went on hiatus around this time. In May 1895, the Japanese consulate in Korea received confirmation that it could censor newspapers in Korea as the mainland Japanese government could in Japan.

Korean Empire period

More Korean papers soon followed the Tongnip sinmun, with several founded in 1898 alone: Kyongsong Sinmun, Cheguk sinmun, Hyopsonghoe Hoebo, Hwangsŏng sinmun, and Maeil Sinmun. Around this time the Tongnip sinmun increased its publication frequency from every other day to daily. A significant majority of the Korean population was illiterate; entire villages sometimes shared single subscriptions, and information was relayed orally. Access to printers, ink, and paper was highly limited, with all such equipment usually imported. There were reportedly no major paper mills in Korea in 1905. The Korean government attempted to assist newspapers by allowing subscription fees to be collected at local government offices. At the time, Korea had no legislation to manage newspapers. They published critically about foreign interference and criticized the Korean government for falling prey to it. In February 1898, the Tongnip sinmun leaked information about the Russian Empire demanding ownership of Busan's Chŏryŏngdo from the Korean government. Emissaries of Russia, France, and Japan protested and demanded Gojong enact legislation to regulate newspapers. In October, Gojong ordered a law drafted. The Department of Internal Affairs drafted a bill modeled after Japan's 1891 newspaper ordinance, but it was seen as too harsh and Korean journalists protested. The bill never took effect; formal restrictions on Korean newspapers were only implemented beginning in 1907. During the 1904–1905 Russo-Japanese War, the Korean press leaked Japanese military movements and secrets. Japan submitted complaints to Gojong, and the Japanese military threatened to intervene and censor papers by force. Several newspapers had articles censored; in protest they practiced what was dubbed "brick wall newspaper" tactics, printing censored articles backwards.

Japanese colonial period

From 1910 until the 1919 March First Movement, few Korean-language publications were allowed in Korea. This period is considered a "dark age" for the Korean-language press. Only two Korean-language papers were permitted: the Maeil Sinbo and the Gyeongnam Ilbo, the latter pressured to close by 1914. South Korean historian Kang Jun-man noted the disparity: at least 20 Japanese-language publications served around 158,000 Japanese people, compared to just two for 12.36 million Koreans. Millions protested across the country, but the Japanese authorities violently suppressed them, resulting in numerous deaths and arrests. The movement invigorated the Korean independence movement, and around 29 underground Korean nationalist newspapers were founded in Korea soon afterward. In response, the Japanese colonial government eased restrictions on Korean newspapers. Shidae Ilbo was founded by Choe Nam-seon in 1924; by 1936 it went by the name JoongAng Ilbo. These three Korean-language papers became significant during the colonial period and were seen as centers for writers and literature. Japanese-language newspapers still held prominence. From 1929 to 1939, the number of Japanese-language newspapers with a circulation over 500 increased from 11 (total 102,707 copies) to 17 (total 195,767 copies). Koreans subscribed in increasing numbers; during that same period, circulation for Korean subscribers to those papers increased about seven-fold, from 5,062 to 36,391.

1960–1980: Military government

After May 16, 1961, the military government conducted a complete overhaul of newspapers and news agencies. A year later, it strongly pushed ahead with media policy, announcing a 25-point "press policy" and "press policy implementation standards." The Dong-A and Chosun incident occurred due to government intervention, press freedom protection movements, suppression of advertisements, and labor-management conflicts. On the surface it was a conflict between reporters and management of the two leading newspapers, Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo, but the incidents revealed problems such as the dismissal of many journalists in the 1970s and discord between journalists and business owners. The incident started with union formation: on March 7, 1974, 33 reporters from the Dong-A Ilbo formed the Dong-A Ilbo Branch of the National Publishing Workers' Union. The company began firing reporters who supported the union. The union filed a lawsuit, leading to conflicts and complex legal battles. Between March 10 and April 1975, the Dong-A Ilbo dismissed and suspended reporters, forcing 134 reporters, producers, and announcers to leave. At the same time, the Chosun Ilbo dismissed two journalists for "infringing their editorial rights." By the end of March 1975, 58 journalists were dismissed or suspended indefinitely due to worsening conflicts, with 33 reporters dismissed as they canceled disciplinary action.