Welcome to BASE21

By Hong Hyun-bin, Editor
malalika@hanmail.net

When most people cried ꡒDae?Han-Min-Kuk(Korea)ꡓfor victory, they were very happy. When they saw people waiting for bus and train to go to thier hometowns on Ch'usok(Korean Thanksgiving Day), they were very pleased. Of course, the Korea team obtained a surprising result in the `World Cup' and they could feel warm atmosphere of festive day. Besides, they could also give their voices to many people during the period. They are the citizens regiment who object to subscribing to the Chosun Ilbo(Chosun).
They have tried in earnest to tell why they have undertaken an `Anti-Chosun' movement since 1999 year. Also, they established a movement in all times and places, not minding a one-man demonstration. Because of this result, there are about 70 civil organizations which are participating in the `Anti-Chosun' movement and the total number of intellectuals who take part in the movement like professors, doctors, novelists and reverend amount to about 1700. Moreover, a lot of University students are impatient to use the scissors on Chosun and sites on the internet which object to Chosun come into being like so many mushrooms after a rain.

걾 Why did they estabish an `Anti-Chosun' movement?
It is a fact that Chosun has a large circulation and an enormous influence over people, so some people insist that men who estabished an an `Anti-Chosun' Movement habe had a cozy relationship with the Kim Dae-jung Administration. They just think Chosun offers good quality information and true reports. That's why the greatest number of people are subscribers to Chosun. They say that people wouldn't do something like this unless they were fools. Also, they have asserted that all kinds of people involved in the `Anti-Chosun' movement(For example, a one-man demonstration in front of the Chosun building) that interfere with Chosun's work encroaches on freedom of speech and the press all the time. But assemblies and demonstrations connected with the `Anti-Chosun' movement have also come under freedom of speech as an expression of one's intentions. Chosun always says, 갾We are the newspaper that says what we want to say.갿 But civil organizations which have established the Anti-Chosun movement have never interfered with their right to say what they want. Although many people have established an `Anti-Chosun' movement, Chosun has never bat an eyelid.

걾How can Chosun erase its dirty past easily?
There are numerous causes for estrablishing a `Anti-Chosun' movement. Of course, the press can't always be right. But Chosun has been the first to twist facts, aggravated regional anger and paralyzed people's rationality by infusing extreme right-wing thinking like anti-communism. Therefore, the statement that Chosun says what they want to say is intentied to infuse their ideology with conviction, suppressing or twisting facts. But Chosun ranks first in terms of subscription. In this way, many people still don't know about Chosun.
So the reporter will tell you why they established an Anti-Chosun movement. First, Chosun was at the head of pro-Japanese influence. Chosun denounced Lee Bong-chang, who is a martyr as criminal who intended to kill the Japanese emperor. Also, Chosun bannered a pair of Japanese, emperors at the top of the front page on the New Year's Day for the first time. Chosun even started to write Japanese military into our forces and a mass of people into Japanese subjugation with an unconcerned air. As you can see from the pictures, Chosun started out as a pro-Japanese newspaper from the initially. In fact, it was very hard not to have pro-Japanese consciousness at all under the rule of Japanese imperialism. The reporter has doubts as to how many people could resist if we lived at that time. We have had a long year, but Chosun still blow their own horns in term of ethnography.
Secondly, the reporter is about to discuss the about immediate reason. In 1998, Chosun use its scissors on the thesis which Professor Choi Jang-jib wrote about 6․25. The thesis already came out 10 years ago and there was no problem about its contents. However, Chosun disregarded the context of the thesis and strained the interpretation of some words. In the end, Chosun denounced Professor Choi as a communist. At that time, P0rofessor Choi was appointed as the chief of the policy planning committee. Chosun intruded saying that the ideology of Professor Choi as a governmental official must be verified. So, Professor Choi had to retire from the chief of the policy planning committee. As a result, the event that Lee Han-woo who is a reporter at Chosun who accused Professor Kang Jun-man for blaming the conduct of Lee Han-woo. As a lesult of this events, public opinion about Anti-Chosun was concentrated.
There are innumerous problem beyond these. People who established the Anti-Chosun movement say that this movement is not a way of destroying vermin but of allowing an organ of public opinion have its say, for this to be accomplished, radical reform of the system must be started from higher position and editorial authority must independent from influence of the establishment. Finally, we need more critical readers from society as a whole.