From its beginnings in the late 19th century, modern Korean journalism had a reformist and nationalistic flavor. Nonetheless, the media faced efforts at political control and even outright censorship. Almost every government since the end of World War II has attempted to control the media, including the military-installed Syngman Rhee’s dictatorship, Park Chung-hee’s government, and the Chun Doo-hwan administration.
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In the 1980s, however, 근처 맛집 censorship and surveillance came under increasing public criticism. Editors of major newspapers such as Dong-a Ilbo and Joongang Ilbo criticized government censorship and editorial practices, and the journalists of Joongang Ilbo went on a strike to win greater managerial and editorial independence from the paper’s owner, the wealthy Samsung Group founder Lee Byung-chul. Television companies also came under increased criticism, and a campaign to withhold compulsory viewers’ fees in protest of censorship by the state-run KBS network received wide publicity.
The most prominent of the independent dailies in the mid-1980s was the pro-opposition Hankyoreh, which drew its national and international readership from its coverage of such taboo subjects as political-military relations, factionalism within the military, and the activities of dissident groups. The Hankyoreh also resisted the government’s pressure to censor its articles, and it became an early leader in promoting professional standards for journalists and in supporting trade unions in the media industry.
By 1989, Korea had four daily newspaper chains with combined circulations of more than 6.5 million readers. Besides the major newspapers, there were several small dailies for specialized interests such as sports and business, as well as a number of weekly and monthly publications. A few Korean-language English-language papers served foreign embassies and businesses, and two specialized Chinese-language daily publications covered the country’s small but significant Chinese community.