Monday, August 11, 2008

[The Chosun Ilbo, July 2 2008] Internet Portals Must Be More Accountable

The Korea Communications Standards Commission has ordered Internet portal Daum, which served as a forum to orchestrate and incite people to intimidate and sabotage newspaper advertisers, to delete related posts on its discussion and debate sites. Daum will have to delete all writings on its sites that instruct people to call and threaten businesses about running ads in the major conservative dailies -- the Chosun Ilbo chief among them -- and that list company phone numbers, corporate organization charts, homepage information, and tips on making the threatening phone calls. The KCSC said those writings incited people to acts that are illegal under Korea’s information and communications ethics regulations, thereby harming law and order and infringing on the rights of others.
[The Chosun Ilbo, July 2 2008] Mobile Phone Sales Set Korean Record

Sales of mobile phones in the domestic market were the largest in history in the first half of this year with more than 13 million handsets. According to sales performance records released by three domestic cell phone manufacturers -- Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Pantech -- 13.41 million handsets were sold in the first half, up 28.9 percent from the first half of last year, when 10.4 million were sold.
[The Chosun Ilbo, July 2 2008] Mobile Phone Sales Set Korean Record

Sales of mobile phones in the domestic market were the largest in history in the first half of this year with more than 13 million handsets. According to sales performance records released by three domestic cell phone manufacturers -- Samsung Electronics, LG Electronics and Pantech -- 13.41 million handsets were sold in the first half, up 28.9 percent from the first half of last year, when 10.4 million were sold.
[The Chosun Ilbo, July 2 2008] Boycott Campaign Against Advertisers Confirmed Illegal

A boycott campaign against advertisers in the Chosun, Dong-A, and JoongAng Ilbo broke the law, the Korea Communications Standards Commission determined in a meeting at the Korea Broadcasting Institute in Seoul on Monday. The KOCSC discussed the legality of postings that called for attacks on advertisers on popular portal site Daum.
[The Chosun Ilbo, July 2 2008] Chosun Ilbo Gets Bomb Threat

Police are investigating a bomb threat the Chosun Ilbo received from an unidentified man who said he had planted explosives at the newspaper. A man presumed to be in his 40s or 50s who spoke in a Busan accent called the Chosun around 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. "I've planted two C-4s inside the Chosun Ilbo building. Make sure that you don't suffer any casualties,” he said and hung up.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 30 2008] Kim Yun-jin Wins Best Actress Prize at Daejong Awards

Kim Yun-jin won the Best Actress award for her role in the film "Seven Days", a story of a child abduction, at the Annual Daejong Film Awards held Friday at the COEX Convention Hall. Kim beat out Jeon Do-yeon who has won eight best actress awards at home and abroad so far, including one for her part in "Secret Sunshine" at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival last year.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 27 2008] What To Do About Media Fabrications

The Korea-U.S. beef accord was reached on April 18. At that time, there were hardly any rumors floating around that eating American beef would lead to one contracting the human form of mad cow disease or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD). But just 15 days later on May 2, citizens began holding candlelight vigils with junior high school students holding placards saying they were too young to die.

What triggered the panic in a previously calm public was the April 29 edition of the MBC current affairs program “PD Diary,” which questioned whether U.S. beef was safe. With the program as a starting point, other broadcasters began a full-court offensive in instilling the belief among Koreans that eating American beef would lead to vCJD. Even though the whole world has now learned that the key claims made by “PD Diary” were either fabricated or intentional distortions of facts, the irresponsible claims made by “PD Diary” intensified as they spread through the Internet, creating a mad cow scare.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 27 2008] Chosun Ilbo Attacked as Street Violence Escalates

The violence of candlelight vigil protesters has taken another leap as the demonstrators attacked a journalist and vandalized buildings and facilities of conservative newspapers. Some 50 protesters who occupied Taepyeongro early Thursday morning went to the Chosun Ilbo building on the street. They scattered garbage in the entrance to the building, and called other protesters passing by to do the same.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 27 2008] Seoul Tops E-Government Index for 3rd Year

Seoul received the highest score in a survey of digital governance in 100 cities worldwide conducted by Sungkyunkwan University's Global e-Policy e-Government Institute and the E-Governance Institute of Rutgers University of New Jersey. It's the third year in a row that Seoul has ranked tops in the survey, conducted every other year since 2003.
DOKDO:

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 25 2008] 60 Years of the Republic: The Syngman Rhee Line

The Oct. 2, 1953 edition of the Chosun Ilbo quoted Chief Justice Kim Byung-ro as saying, “The Peace Line is under international law, and violation of the Peace Line by Japanese fishing boats will cause disputes between the two countries.” The Korean Presidential Proclamation of Sovereignty over the Adjacent Sea, known as either the "Peace Line" or "Syngman Rhee Line," which was declared during the Korean War on Jan. 18, 1952, clearly shows how determined then-president Rhee was to keep Korea’s territory against Japan. Rhee drew the line 60 miles from the seashore, and declared that Korea will preserve the mineral and sea resources within it.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 24 2008] Children Exposed to Cyber Misinformation

Even children are exposed to misinformation on the Internet, not least on dedicated web portals. Junior Naver, the children's site of the country's largest web portal, is a prime example. When typing in the search term "mad cow disease,” users connected to the Juniver Knowledge Section, which is full of preposterous questions and answers posted by young children and students.

Claims include that Americans import safe beef from grass-fed Australian cattle while exporting beef “even beggars don't eat."
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 24 2008] Cyber Terror Against Advertisers 'Will Be Punished'

The Justice Ministry and the Prosecutors’ Office on Monday reaffirmed their determination to crack down on activists who are attacking businesses that advertise in Korea’s big conservative dailies, the Chosun, Dong-A and JoongAng daily.

The Supreme Prosecutors’ Office in a meeting with the Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, the National Police Agency, and the Korea Communications Committee, concluded legal action is inevitable as terrorizing of businesses to get them to pull their ads has gone beyond the level of a consumer movement and begun to reveal systematic and malicious intent.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 24 2008] Director Im Wearied by 'Reckless' Korean Filmmaking

The 30th International Moscow Film Festival which opened on June 19 is presenting a special retrospective on legendary Korean director Im Kwon-taek. The event prompted the 72-year-old filmmaker to visit the Russian city for the first time in 20 years, but Im didn't seem happy when the Chosun Ilbo met up with him there. Rather than his feelings on visiting Moscow again, foremost on the director's mind were his concerns about the Korean film industry.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 24 2008] Innovative Technology Displayed at World IT Show

A walking robot that can teach, play games and perform Internet searches. A wheelchair for the physically challenged that moves left or right depending on which teeth the person chews with. These were some of the new innovative technologies that were shown at the World IT Show 2008, Korea's largest information technology exhibition.

More than 600 businesses from 22 countries participated in the show including domestic IT companies such as Samsung Electronics and KT as well as foreign companies such as IBM and HP. New technologies showcased at the exhibition included three-dimensional displays that can make objects appear like they are floating off the screen.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 20 2008] End Cyber Terror Against Advertisers

Korea’s five business organizations, including the Federation of Korean Industries and the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, sent an official letter to the country’s top five Internet portals on Wednesday urging them to prevent certain users from inciting others to intimidate businesses that advertise on the Chosun, Dong-A and JoongAng daily newspapers.

The methods include people calling in on the phone to hurl curses and threats at company employees. A surge in the number of such phone calls has paralyzed business operations, while some of the small companies that have been affected are facing closure. This is the result of the actions of a few netizens, who posted on the Internet plans of attack and contact numbers of businesses that advertise in leading newspapers which have rubbed the anti-U.S. beef activists up the wrong way.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] Korea's Online Identity System to Be Strengthened

The Korea Communications Committee plans to expand the online real-name system. A new regulation stipulates that when an Internet user posts or spreads a message on a portal site that is false or degrading to other individuals or companies, the portal will be required to step up monitoring and supervision of its contents.

A KCC official said Wednesday that the committee is planning to set up a research team including outside personnel to review the effects of the online real-name system. The existing online real-name system was applied to a total of 37 sites: 16 portals with a daily average of over 300,000 visitors, six user-created content sites, and 15 media sites with a daily average of 200,000 visitors.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] Should Portals Bear Responsibility for Cyber Violence?

At 3 a.m. on Tuesday, the Internet edition of the Chosun Ilbo reported an official announcement by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control that the young American woman who was suspected of having died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (the human form of mad cow disease), as reported by MBC news program "PD Diary", had in fact died due to a different illness.

Internet portal Daum had led the candlelight vigils in cyberspace since the mad cow fears began spreading by posting on its main news corner articles about the dangers of U.S. beef and writings by bloggers and setting this issue as the main theme on its Agora web board for days on end. But for eight hours, Daum did not even bother to select the Chosun Ilbo article, which could mark a turning point in the mad cow disease controversy. It wasn't until 11:30 a.m. that the portal began posting articles by other news media that followed the Chosun report. If the CDC had announced that the American woman had indeed died of vCJD, how would Daum have handled that news? It probably would have plastered its main page with articles reporting that as well as links to previous articles.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] KB Card Launches Multimedia Credit Card

KB Card announced Wednesday the launch of its "&d Card," the world's first multimedia credit card, allowing users to listen to music and watch video clips and digital multimedia broadcasting (DMB).

Of course you need the help of a slim terminal with a 2.4-inch screen to play videos and listen to tunes. A two-gigabyte memory chip is installed in the credit card, and a four-gigabyte memory chip is in the terminal, allowing the product to store up to six gigabytes of data.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] Internet Portals Asked to Help Curb Business Sabotage

Activists are hounding businesses that advertise in Korea’s big conservative dailies including the Chosun Ilbo with telephone terror and attacks on the Internet over the newspapers’ reportage on the protests against U.S. beef. The attacks usually take the form of nuisance calls to jam the companies’ switchboards. Now the five leading employers’ organizations have asked the portal sites used by the activists as staging posts for their attacks not to assist in the obstruction of legitimate corporate advertising activities.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea International Trade Association, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, and the Korea Employers' Federation on Wednesday said they sent an official letter to five major portal sites -- Naver, Daum, Yahoo, Nate and Paran -- plus DCInside, an Internet community, asking them to "cooperate so that companies’ normal business activities will not be discouraged."
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] Internet Portals Asked to Help Curb Business Sabotage

Activists are hounding businesses that advertise in Korea’s big conservative dailies including the Chosun Ilbo with telephone terror and attacks on the Internet over the newspapers’ reportage on the protests against U.S. beef. The attacks usually take the form of nuisance calls to jam the companies’ switchboards. Now the five leading employers’ organizations have asked the portal sites used by the activists as staging posts for their attacks not to assist in the obstruction of legitimate corporate advertising activities.

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Federation of Korean Industries, the Korea International Trade Association, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business, and the Korea Employers' Federation on Wednesday said they sent an official letter to five major portal sites -- Naver, Daum, Yahoo, Nate and Paran -- plus DCInside, an Internet community, asking them to "cooperate so that companies’ normal business activities will not be discouraged."
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 19 2008] OECD Delegates Chart Road Map for Internet Economy

Bringing about positive change through the Internet and tackling some of its most pressing issues -- this is at the heart of the "Seoul Declaration on the Future of the Internet Economy" which delegates to the OECD Ministerial Meeting adopted Wednesday afternoon.

One pressing issue is building confidence in the Internet. It is important, members said, because people are fearful of attacks on privacy, data breaches, identity theft and other cyber crimes. This becomes a growing threat to global prosperity as the Internet and real-world economies grow increasingly intertwined. One delegate from Canada stressed to adequately protect global flows of information, countries cannot seek solutions on their own.
[The Chosun Ilbo, June 18 2008] CEOs of Streaming Sites Held Over Copyright Breach

The CEOs of major online storage companies have been arrested for violating copyright by illegally transacting video files and movies.

Doubts about the timing are being voiced online since one of those arrested is Moon Yong-sik of Nowcom, which also runs streaming site Afreeca. The site became famous for live broadcasts by users of candlelight vigils against the import of U.S. beef.
THE MAD COW DESEASE AND KOREAN MEDIA:

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 27 2008] More Allegations Against ‘PD Diary’ Surface

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 27 2008] '60 Minutes' and 'PD Diary'

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 26 2008] The Truth About ‘PD Diary’

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 26 2008] 'PD Diary' Ignored Translator’s Warnings

The translator of the MBC current affairs program “PD Diary,” which is charged with stirring up unfounded fears about the safety of U.S. beef, has testified that staff ignored her opinion and deliberately described downer cows as a risk of causing variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans. “PD Diary” aired a program on mad cow disease on April 29 which stoked a Korea-wide panic about the safety of American beef.

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 18 2008] ‘PD Diary’ in Grudging Report of Mad Cow Finding

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 18 2008] Gov’t to File Charges Against MBC Over Mad Cow Claims

The Ministry for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries on Tuesday said it will file civil and criminal charges against the MBC current affairs program “PD Diary” for allegedly exaggerating the risk of mad cow disease from U.S. beef and slandering the government delegation who negotiated the import deal with the U.S.

[The Chosun Ilbo, June 18 2008] Broadcaster Ignores Truth About CJD Death

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control officially announced on its homepage on Thursday that test results showed the young American woman reported by the MBC current affairs program "PD Diary" as having died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD), the human form of "mad cow disease", did not die from that illness at all.
KBS PRESIDENT'S DISMISSAL:

[The Hankyoreh, August 12 2008] KBS employees launch group to fight KBS president’s dismissal

Meanwhile, prosecution announces it will get arrest warrant for Jung and bring him into custody this week

KBS employees have formed a group to confront President Lee Myung-bak’s dismissal of KBS President Jung Yun-joo, announcing it will struggle aggressively to protect public broadcasting against the current administration’s scheme to take it over.

[The Hankyoreh, August 9 2008] [Editorial] The illegality of KBS president’s dismissal

The board at KBS has voted to fire the broadcaster’s president, Jung Yun-joo, by accepting the Board of Audit and Inspection’s demand that he be removed from his position. The decision took place while police were charging into the building to violently remove employees who were protesting the move, during which some board members left the room. They say President Lee Myung-bak will soon finalize the decision and that a warrant for Jung’s arrest is imminent. Lee’s tenacious attempt to seize control of the media is gradually being realized.

[The Hankyoreh, August 9 2008] KBS board votes its president out

Staff and civic groups cry foul and vow to defend the broadcaster at a company assembly on August 11

Convening a meeting on August 8, the KBS board of directors passed a resolution recommending the firing of KBS president Jung Yun-joo. Despite the legal controversy surrounding the measure, President Lee Myung-bak decided to accept the recommendation, dismiss Jung effective around August 11 or 12, and begin looking for a replacement. That same day, police entered KBS, the first time police have entered a broadcast media company in 18 years, sparking debate over the legality of the police action.

Jung released a press statement after the board meeting, saying the board had no authority to recommend his dismissal. Moreover, he said, there were regulatory problems, such as the board’s failure to tell him the date and time of its meeting in advance, and that he would not recognize its resolution. He will actively consider a legal response, he said. He added that the board would take serious responsibility for asking the police to enter KBS.

[The Hankyoreh, August 6 2008] Audit board calls for ouster of KBS president

Though the board cites mismanagement and abuse of power, critics say the BAI is acting as President Lee’s proxy

The Board of Audit and Inspection decided on August 5 to call for President Lee Myung-bak to fire Korea Broadcasting System President Jung Yun-joo, citing his alleged mismanagement practices and abuse of power in making personnel appointments. In response, media organizations and professors accused the BAI of conspiring on behalf of the administration of President Lee, who has been seeking to tighten his grip on national broadcasters, while abandoning its political neutrality as a constitutional institution.

[The Hankyoreh, August 7 2008] KBS president fights calls for his dismissal

Jung Yun-joo refutes BAI’s audit of KBS as unfair and accuses Lee administration of media suppression

Korea Broadcasting System President Jung Yun-joo, who has been under pressure from the Board of Audit and Inspection to step down, said on August 6 that he will file a petition with the Seoul Administrative Court on August 7 to nullify the government auditor’s demand for his dismissal and determine the legitimacy of the demand, saying, “The BAI’s audit of KBS is full of lies, distortion and arbitrary interpretation.”

[The Hankyoreh, August 8 2008] Lee administration’s drive to sack KBS president is illegal, experts say

Broadcast Communications Law does not allow presidents to dismiss public media presidents

The Lee Myung-bak administration-led drive to sack KBS President Jung Yun-joo will likely spark legal controversy as it runs directly counter to not only pertinent articles in the Board of Audit and Inspection’s regulations, but also to the intent of revisions to the Broadcast Law. Experts familiar with the the Broadcast Law take the view that since the power to sack the KBS president was eliminated in order to preserve the neutrality and independence of broadcast media, the administration’s move to sack Jung is clearly illegal.
[The Hankyoreh, August 8 2008] [Column] The souring of organizational culture

Yeo Hyeon-ho, Editorial writer

It was around 1993. A reporter for the Chosun Ilbo and a reporter from the Hankyoreh Sinmun were walking around the prosecution and ended up sitting next to each other in the office of Hong Joon-pyo, then a violent crimes prosecutor with the Seoul District Prosecution. We exchanged idle pleasantries but ended up in a childish debate about what a reporter is supposed to be. The Hankyoreh reporter said a newspaper reporter needed to be a critical intellectual, and the Chosun reporter said the reporter’s job was to gather information. Prior to taking the hiring test at the Chosun, this person had taken the hiring test at the Hankyoreh. I don’t remember his facial expression at the time. What I do remember was the curious smile on Hong’s face as he watched two early thirtysomething journalists in a lame debate.

I’m not trying to play a rerun of that discussion. Opinions can differ about whether it is criticism or producing content that should come first for a newspaper. My own thoughts on this have changed over the years. The two young journalists may now feel differently as well about the question of whether a journalist is an intellectual who keeps watch on those in power or a salary man who handles information, depending on the situation or position in which one may find oneself.
[The Hankyoreh, August 7 2008] [Editorial] It’s the media’s turn to press for freedom

The International Federation of Journalists has issued a statement titled “IFJ Condemns Political Interference in Korean Media,” in which it calls on the administration of President Lee Myung-bak to “stop controlling media.” The IFJ is a largely Western organization composed purely of working journalists and boasting 600,000 members in around 100 countries. This organization representing general standards and common sense in journalism is openly criticizing the Korean government, expressing concern over what could be “a catastrophe for press freedom in the country“ for the Korean media.
[The Hankyoreh, August 6 2008] [Cartoon] Lap dogs

The sign on the building says, “Dokdo is Korean territory. Korea is American territory.”

As President Lee Myung-bak rushes to meet him, U.S. President George W. Bush notices the action taken by the Board of Audit and Inspection against KBS President Jung Yun-joo and thinks he sees, “the poodle’s poodle.”
[The Hankyoreh, August 4 2008] Lee administration weak on information disclosure

Details on ministers’ expense accounts missing from many government Web sites

The administration of President Lee Myung-bak is falling behind previous administrations in terms of disclosing government information to the general public.

According to a Hankyoreh investigation of 18 government Web sites, including the Blue House, on August 3, the sites were a full of information promoting the government, but essential information, such as its major policy agenda or details on how ministers and vice ministers are using their expense accounts was withheld.
[The Hankyoreh, August 4 2008] Government beast

When going after the MBC current events program “The Producer's Notebook,” the prosecution turns into the Hulk.

When going after President Lee Myung-bak’s cousin-in-law, it shrinks back down to normal size.

“You’ve turned all gentle again,” says the cousin, Kim Ok-hee.
[The Hankyoreh, August 4 2008] Anti-U.S. protest arrest

Heo Jae-hyun, a Hankyoreh reporter, is arrested in Myeongdong in central Seoul on August 2.

At the time of his arrest, Heo was in the process of reporting on a recent candlelight protest in which 10,000 people participated, as estimated by the People’s Countermeasure Council against Mad Cow Disease. The demonstration was largely organized as a protest against U.S. President George W. Bush’s upcoming visit to Korea. Heo and 13 other people were arrested.
[The Hankyoreh, August 1 2008] Restricted rating for films ruled out

Rating boards standards are arbitrary, Constitutional Court says

The Constitutional Court ruled that a clause in the law on film and video promotion, which permits film and video to be rated as “restricted,” is does not conform to the Constitution, meaning that the law is still in force until a new law revision is implemented

The ruling is intended to clarify what qualifies as a “restricted viewing” rating thereby diminishing the significance of the Korea Media Rating Board’s rating system, which has been criticized by the nation’s film industry.
[The Hankyoreh, August 1 2008] [Editorial] Military’s regressive and anti-intellectual book censorship

The Ministry of Defense has labeled educational books, best sellers and even the work of great global scholars as “seditious material” and ordered the Army, Navy and Air Force to confiscate them. The ministry, even after this instruction became an issue, said it would continue to classify such works as seditious. That labeling books as “seditious” is still rampant is surprising; to act if nothing’s wrong is even sorrier.

If you look at the list of “seditious books” composed by the military’s security department, it seems the military is lowering its understanding of seditious to quite a bit lower than that of society at large. Cambridge University Professor Ha-Joon Chang’s “Bad Samaritans,” classified as anti-government and anti-American, has been selected as “Book of the Year” by several media outlets. It is an economic text for the general public whose Korean and English editions are both best sellers. Hyeon Gi-yeong’s novel “A Spoon on Earth,” labeled a pro-North Korean work, has been recommended in the broadcast media and sold hundreds of thousands of copies. “Year 501: The Conquest Continues,” classified as an anti-government and anti-American work, is a book by the great international scholar Noam Chomsky. Even university textbooks are on the list.