[Opinion] 165 Million Won and the Crisis of Media Trust

It seems there has never been a more difficult time to work as a journalist than these days. First of all, competition has become fierce as the number of media outlets has increased. Just looking at internet newspapers registered as periodicals with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the number has surged from 286 in 2005 to 11,257 as of March 2023. Also, with the race for breaking news, the number of articles that need to be written has increased. Personal attacks and derogatory criticisms against journalists have become commonplace. Above all, the shameful and tragic incidents in the media industry that occur every now and then undermine journalists' self-esteem.

The explanation by Shin Hak-rim, former chairman of the Korean Federation of Mediaworkers' Unions, that he "received 165 million won for the price of three books" is an example. His explanation is not reasonable. Shin entered the media industry in 1984 as a reporter for Hankook Ilbo. He is one of the leading figures in media activism, having served as chairman of the National Union of Mediaworkers, executive director of the Citizens' Coalition for Media Reform, CEO of Media Today, and a specialist at Newstapa. Yet, he has become subject to prosecution investigation on suspicion of receiving a large sum of money from Kim Man-bae, the major shareholder of Hwacheon Daeyu Asset Management.

The "book" he refers to is Map of the Kinship Network Dominating the Republic of Korea, published in 2020. Shin has long had a particular interest in kinship networks. He has consistently argued that the underlying structure of corruption among the entrenched elite is the kinship ties among the media, conglomerates, and political circles. Kim, who was released from prison, said, "It is true that the money was given as payment for the book." Regardless of what Kim said, how many people would agree that 165 million won was just the price of a book?

Shin interviewed Kim on September 15, 2021. However, the interview was made public only on March 6, 2022, three days before the presidential election. Shin explained the interview circumstances by saying, "Although Kim Man-bae's name was not known at the time, I thought that only Kim could have named the company with key words from the Book of Changes such as Hwacheon Daeyu and Cheonhwa Dongin, so I sought him out," but this explanation is unconvincing. There is a possibility of another context. It is also questionable why the interview file was kept for nearly six months and only released right before the election. Although it will be revealed in future prosecution investigations, it is natural to raise suspicions that the intention to influence the presidential election took precedence over the journalist's fundamental role of reporting fairly and balancedly, implying that he may have directly participated as a 'player.'

Regarding this incident, the ruling party claims it is a "presidential election manipulation case," while the opposition says "the beginning of media control" has started. This is a typical political dispute. Whether there was any political connection behind the interview, whether Newstapa's report and certain ideologically inclined media conspired to amplify the incident, or what the truth of the interview content is, cannot be known at this time. While speculation is possible, there is insufficient evidence to make a judgment.

Not long ago, it was shocking to discover that journalists were involved in financial transactions related to the Daejang-dong case. There was a case of receiving a large sum of 900 million won from Kim Man-bae, and another case where 80 million won was lent and 90 million won was received. Now, the "book price of 165 million won" has emerged again. One of the important roles of the media is to monitor power. If money was exchanged while journalists acted as lobbyists and secured interests, where does the media stand? This is not a matter of progressivism or conservatism. It is a crisis of trust.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.