Media in Korea, an overview-I

As the country's economy takes an upward trend, it does have an impact on the growth of the newspapers as well. Korea could not be exception to that universal rule.

Undoubtedly, in Korea, as of 1997, there were hundred plus daily newspapers and over six thousand weekly and monthly publications. Other periodicals, including bi-monthlies and quarterlies, together with over fifteen hundred non-commercial periodicals, bring the total number of Korea's newspapers and periodicals to about, approximately, eight thousand plus.

Add to this the newspapers that only appear on the Internet. This number is also increasing every day. All cater to the needs and the demands of a fastly growing Korean society.

It is now easy to assume that Korean press has already attained a sort of maturity because the Korean press is now well over a century old this means that the Korean press has seen many ups and downs in the process of its evolution in Korea.

As in other societies, the press and the government in Korea too possess some pleasant and bitter views vis-à-vis each other. Frankly speaking, any government has never admired the press, even if it were democratic in truest sense of the term and definition, anywhere in the world. Like Nepal, I could listen to some harsh comments against the government made by the Korean media giants to say the least. Not a surprising phenomenon indeed at least for me who has over the decades being in the profession has experienced an inimical attitude from the government then and now even. In a nutshell, the press and the government assume a sort of "friendly-enemy" role for each other.

Not very surprisingly then the Senior Research Fellow of the Korea Press Foundation, KPF, Mr. Koo-Hyun Lee, Ph.D. should brief me of all the sad happenings that have been happening of late in between the press and the Korean government led by President seated in the Blue House.

Be that as it may, the KPF has a motto which says in part that "it will play a leading role in promoting the media culture in the 21st century". The Korea press foundation was reborn as an integrated institute for the media and public interest and during the past two decades, the Korea Press Center, the Korea Press Institute and the Korea Journalists Fund have served in the public sector to promote media culture and that these three organizations were integrated into the Korea Press Foundation to better serve the media and public interest.

According to Dr. Koo, the KPF supports journalists' activities by sponsoring seminars and works for the enhancement of professional development of the Korean media men and at times invites international journalists to share their own experiences gained in this regard. All that the KPF demands from the media men is that they maintain high standards of professionalism and ethics as stipulated in the charter.

Dr. Koo says the Korean media too is struggling in order to maintain its integrity and has of late been vocal of certain government's considerations which if brought into force might curtail the freedom of the press. But then yet, Dr. Koo says that with media population of over 40,000, they were ready to protect their rights at any costs come what may. Of the total media strength, 36% were engaged in Newspapers; 33% in the broadcast media and the rest in news agencies and cable-satellite networks. A negligible size is engaged in the Cyber press.

Talking on the women's participation in the media, Dr. Koo declares that the number of women in the media sector was increasing with 175 of the total engaged in newspapers; 12% in broadcast media and a sizeable chunk in cable and satellite networks.

"The Blue House is contemplating certain ideas to put pressure on the media under the guise of distorting the government news", said Dr. Koo.

It is unconstitutional to control the public opinion, adds Dr. Koo. "We can't accept taming the media", continues Dr. Koo. According to Dr. Koo, some ruling party members were preparing a sort of draft in order to tame the media that enjoys the backing of the public opinion.

The climax: The charge is that, adds the KPF research fellow, the government is trying to interfere even in editorial freedoms by manipulating some of its men in the board of the media.

Look the contrast: Mr. Brian Bain, the British Managing Editor of the Korea herald, an English language daily publication, dismisses the charges made by the men at the KPF and at the JoongAng Ilbo.

Mr. Brian easily dismisses such charges and recalls whether he too had come across such governmental interference. "No! It's not like that what you have been told by my colleagues. I have never experienced such encroachment in my editorial freedom. We write the editorials and we write it frankly even at times against the establishment. However, the men in the government have never told me even in private that Korea Herald's editorials were too harsh!

Nevertheless, Mr. Brian jokingly told me that his professional colleagues at times criticized his daily newspaper as an "opportunist" one.

"I am the first foreign national to run a newspaper in Korea", told a beaming Brian Bain.

To be continued—Media in Korea, an overview.

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