Dismissed Journalists Seek Retrial to Overturn 50-Year-Old Verdicts

For decades, the memory of the 'white paper ad incident' and the subsequent mass dismissals of journalists from Dong-A Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo has cast a long shadow over South Korea's press freedom history. Now, a group of former journalists, along with the families of those who have passed away, are taking a courageous step to rectify a historical injustice. They have invoked the recently established 'trial appeal' system, a legal mechanism designed to allow for the review of past court decisions, to challenge the rulings that upheld their dismissals over 50 years ago.

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I want to return to Dong-A Ilbo for even a day, even an hour, and sit in my old seat. I want to talk with my juniors about press freedom.

This legal action is not merely about seeking individual vindication; it is a profound statement about the importance of press freedom and the enduring struggle against authoritarianism. The journalists were dismissed not for any professional misconduct, but for their courageous stand against the Park Chung-hee regime's pressure, which manifested as a systematic withdrawal of advertisements from publications deemed critical. The official reason given for their dismissal – 'managerial difficulties' – was a thinly veiled pretext to silence dissenting voices and enforce state control over the media.

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When we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Dong-A Ilbo Committee for the Protection of Press Freedom last year, I thought I wouldn't bring up these issues again. But since there's a chance to retry the case, I feel like I should do it for the sake of honor.

The original court rulings, which validated these dismissals, are now seen as a judicial endorsement of the authoritarian regime's suppression of the press. The legal arguments used at the time, such as citing 'significant disruption to business' due to 'managerial difficulties,' have been widely criticized as a means to legitimize politically motivated firings. The fact that the courts, even when acknowledging that the revised employment rules lacked union consent, still upheld the dismissals based on claims of 'insubordination' and threats to the company's survival, highlights a troubling period where judicial decisions appeared to serve the interests of state power rather than justice.

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The judiciary retrospectively legitimized and judicially confirmed the state's suppression of the press.

This fight for historical truth is deeply personal for the families of the dismissed journalists. For many, like the daughter of the late Yoon Hwal-sik, a former Dong-A Ilbo producer, the pain of seeing their loved ones ostracized and denied re-employment in their chosen field has been a lifelong burden. The government's past actions, including the creation of 'blacklists' to prevent these journalists from finding work in the media industry, only compounded their suffering. The current legal appeal offers a glimmer of hope not only for the surviving journalists but also for their families, who see it as a chance to honor their parents' legacy and reclaim their honor. This is a uniquely Korean struggle, reflecting a specific historical context where the fight for democracy and freedom of expression was intertwined with the battle against state-sponsored media manipulation.

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We thought it wasn't a dishonorable thing to have our advertisements canceled because the press was doing its job. But to be fired for 'managerial issues' is absurd. Even if there were financial difficulties, they should have found other solutions, like reassigning us to different departments.