Dong-a Ilbo`s democratization drive officially recognized

The “Dong-a Free Press Practical Movement,” under which reporters at The Dong-a Ilbo protested the dictatorship of the Park Chung-Hee administration in the 1970s and sought to protect the people’s right to know, has been officially recognized.

The Honor Restoration and Compensation Screening Committee under the premier decided at its plenary meeting that “The Dong-a Free Press Practical Movement contributed to the establishment of the democratic constitutional order by restoring and enhancing the people’s freedoms and rights.”

The committee went on to say, “Under the premise that freedom of the press was a basic condition for the construction of a liberal and democratic society, Dong-a reporters clearly expressed their intention to oppose the authoritarian government in a declaration on the practices of a free press that was issued on Oct. 24, 1974. The declaration called for the prohibition of external interference, a ban on visits by secret service members and a refusal to tolerate the illegal detention of journalists.

The compensation screening committee also said, “ The Dong-a Free Press Practical Movement spread to 29 newspapers, news agencies, and broadcast companies throughout the country, including the Chosun Ilbo, Hankook Ilbo, Kyunghyang Shinmun, Seoul Shinmun, Sinah Ilbo, Joongang Ilbo, KBS and MBC by the end of October of that year, greatly boosting the press freedom movement in the dictatorship era.

The compensation screening committee said, “As the quality of The Dong-a Ilbo improved and articles concerning human rights began to appear in keeping with the free press declaration, former President Park put pressure on advertisers through the then Central Intelligence Agency. Accordingly, the committee will conduct individual screenings of 97 persons, including reporters who applied for the restoration of honor and compensation, to determine whether they were involved in the democratization movement.

The Dong-a Free Press Practical Movement began when 180 Dong-a Ilbo reporters, Dong-a Broadcasting producers (PD) and announcers adopted the free press practical declaration. The document paved the way for reports on cases in which people’s basic rights were violated by the then Park Chung-Hee administration. In response to the movement, the Park administration put pressure on advertisers to cancel their ads for several months from the middle of December.

Yang Ki-Dae kee@donga.com