Digital Chosunilbo (English Edition) : Daily News in English About Korea: "Chosun Ilbo Faces Tax Probe After Irking Cheong Wa Dae

The National Tax Service said Thursday it will launch a tax investigation of the Chosun Ilbo and Sports Chosun, one of its subsidiaries. The probe comes five years after the last, devastating probe. The Seoul Regional Tax Office sent the two newspapers prior notice that it intends to conduct a regular tax investigation that will span 60 business days from Oct 20, 2006 through Jan 23, 2007. Under the Kim Dae-jung administration in 2001, the NTS conducted a four-month tax probe of 23 media companies including major newspapers Chosun and DongA Ilbo and slapped them with W505.6 billion (US$1=W957) in additional taxes, giving rise to cries of a crackdown on the critical press."