PEOPLE READING NOTICE-BOARDED DONGA ILBO PAPERS OUTSIDE HEAD OFFICE OF PAPER: NEWSROOM AND PRINTING PRESSES OF DONGA ILBO: PAPERS STOCKED FOR DELIVERY: DONGA RADIO ANNOUNCER IN STUDIO: STUDIO CONTROL-ROOM WITH TECHNICIAN: BLACK SPACES AND OPPOSITION GROUP ADVERTISEMENTS IN PAPER




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Background: Despite apparent relaxation of South Korea's President Park Chunghee's clampdowns on protests against his stern constitution, the country's largest newspaper and one of the leading radio broadcasters has lost most of its major sponsors apparently due to government pressures on advertisers in retaliation against its outspoken criticism of the President's rule.

On Thursday January 9th Donga Radio announced that it had lost all its big advertisements as the pullout of major advertisers continued. For several days previously the Donga Ilbo - South Korea's largest national daily with a circulation of 600,000 - had put out all its editions with large blank spaces claimed to have been caused by an 80% pullout by advertisers.

The opposition New Democratic Party said in a statement released on Wednesday January 8th that the government was taking the "most canning and brutal" measures against the press. The Donga Ilbo and its affiliated radio station took a leading role last year in a campaign to reject outside pressure on editorial decisions, going on strike in November in protest against alleged censorship.

Long a champion of a free press, the 54-years-old newspaper has now been in financial difficulty for two weeks following the first abrupt cancellation of advertising contracts by 20 major sponsors who previously had bought 40% of the papers advertising space. Half of Donga Radio's major sponsors similarly withdrew contracts on Tuesday 7th January.

Since the newspaper and radio's troubles began opposition groups within South Korea have begun campaigns to save the paper, often paying for protest advertisements in the papers depleted pages.