[The Hankyoreh, June 20 2008] ChoJoongDong's ad revenues fall to 50 percent

Due to netizens protest on the coverage over U.S. beef imports, 10 companies withdraw their ads from the three dailies

A grassroots protest against companies which have placed their ads in three conservative newspapers, called “ChoJoongDong,” an acronym that refers to the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo, is increasingly gathering strength. The protest was launched on May 27, when an Internet user posted a list of ads in the three newspapers on an Internet site and proposed to “make a call to protest.”

The protest spread among the netizens so quickly due to the attitude of ChoJoongDong’s article dealing with the U.S. beef import agreement. The three conservative newspapers have labeled the candlelight vigils as unsound activities led by leftists.

When the list of advertisers for the “ChoJoongDong” newspapers was posted on an Internet community site of the leading portal Daum Communications, called the “People’s Campaign to Cease Publication of ChoJoongDong at http://cafe.daum.net/stopcjd,” Internet users began pressuring the advertisers by spreading the list around other Web sites.