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| Guests and staffers celebrate the 15th anniversary of The Korea Times on Nov. 1, 1965. / Korea Times file |
By Kwon Ji-youn
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| Korea Times' former managing editor Hong Soon-il speaks during an interview at his home in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province, Tuesday. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
| Seen above is The Korea Times' first "Thoughts of the Times" column by founder Dr. Helen Kim, published on Jan. 28, 1964. "Thoughts of the Times" is a daily essay column contributed by readers. / Korea Times file |
He recalls when he first joined The Korea Times in 1954, four years following the newspaper's first publication; when he, as the managing editor, was taken to the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) to be interrogated and assaulted for two contributed articles that satirically slammed "kisaeng party" tourism then prevalent among Japanese tourists; when a "legman" would do all the investigating and the rest would sit in the office to write stories.
Hong, who served as managing editor of The Korea Times from 1967 through 1974, said in an interview that the newspaper, which publishes its 20,000th edition today, has weathered a number of storms, but stressed that as long as it keeps its focus on the basics of journalism, the prospects are far from bleak.
"As long as English remains a dominant language, demand for English media will hold," Hong stressed.
Then
In an article Hong contributed to The Korea Times to celebrate the paper's 50th anniversary, Hong flashes on a dimly-lit office in a corner of the now-demolished Capitol building near Kyongbok Palace. This was his first impression of The Korea Times' newsroom.
"At the time, there were very few reporters who had studied English overseas," he said. "We used hot metal typesetting to print the newspaper, the kind that injects molten type lead into a mold that has the shape of one or more glyphs."
They called this the "hot process," he recalled.
Over 30 to 40 years, Hong witnessed a true revolution transpire, as computers and printers were invented to "cool" the procedure. Now, in a nutshell, reporters type up articles in the field, and have them sent to the newsroom, where an editor revises it. Documents then go to copyreaders, then to layout and finally to the printing facilities.
"Nowadays, reporters produce more quality writing," he added.
Hong remembers the censorship that kept journalists from reporting the truth back then.
"As [former] President Rhee Syng-man employed undemocratic means for his reelection, The Times began to openly criticize the autocratic President to the extent that the government in 1952 discontinued purchasing the paper for distribution to United Nations troops fighting in Korea," Hong wrote in his contributing article. "The government also requested the return of The Times' publication license, but Dr. [Helen] Kim [founder of the paper], … rejected the demand and incorporated a joint-stick company to make it an independent enterprise." The Times had first been published as a government organ addressed to foreign communities here and abroad.
Hong wrote in his column about the financial difficulties that strained The Times when it lost government aid. Its management was then handed over the Chang Key-young, who was serving as publisher of the vernacular daily Chosun Ilbo.
"So many said the invention of the television would stifle newspaper sales," he said. "But it survived. The Korea Times is older than its sister paper, the Hankook Ilbo, and I personally think its life span will be longer."
Now
Hong believes that for English newspapers to survive the trade's rapid transition into the digital age, journalists need to return to the basics.
"The future of English newspapers is bright, but there is a need to reorient here and there," Hong said. "A newspaper needs to be able to carry out its proper function while maintaining accuracy, independence, impartiality and decency."
Hong said surviving in an industry awash with online media outlets and social networking services will be about how we embrace such adjustments.
"For example, breaking news articles are very often inaccurate, as, in their hurry to reach audiences, reporters and editors forget to check for facts," he said. "For newspapers, accuracy is an absolute must. Different angles and follow-ups are possible solutions."
He suggested The Times focus on reader participation.
"The Times [has] made sustained efforts to engage in ‘personal journalism,' by printing by-line stories written by ace reporters and signed columns contributed by talented writers in Korea, as well as articles selected among foreign syndicates," Hong wrote in his column. "Participation by readers in the paper's production was also encouraged by creating forums for them and increasing space for letters to the editor."
He noted that the daily essay column "Thoughts of the Times" comes from avid readers, and consequently, ties have strengthened between them and the newspaper.
Another such effort was Hong's introduction of the "Modern Korean Literature Translation Award," the first of its kind in Korea.
"The award has indeed served as a gateway for a good number of potential and established translators to make debuts in the international literary world," Hong wrote.
An even larger picture should look at education, he said.
"We cannot force foreigners to subscribe to English newspapers," Hong, who founded The Times' "Student Corner," said. "So we need to target students, who are eager to learn English. It's a niche market that just keeps growing."
Who is Hong Soon-il?
Hong Soon-il joined The Korea Times as a reporter in February 1954, and, during his time with the nation's oldest daily, served as managing editor and chief editorial writer. He writes a column titled "Seoul Perspective" for The Korea Times.
