Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Daily Digest
HIGHLIGHTS
The House and Senate met for the Inauguration of President Barack Hussein Obama and Vice President Joseph Robinette Biden, Jr.
[Page: D53] GPO's PDF
Senate
Chamber ActionRoutine Proceedings, pages S661-71
Nomination--Agreement: A unanimous-consent-time agreement was reached providing that at 12 noon, on Wednesday, January 21, 2009, Senate consider the nomination of Hillary Clinton, to be Secretary of State, and that there be 3 hours of debate, with the time equally divided and controlled between the two Leaders, or their designees, and that Senate then vote on confirmation of the nomination. Page S670
Nominations Confirmed: Senate confirmed the following nominations: Arne Duncan, of Illinois, to be Secretary of Education. Janet Ann Napolitano, of Arizona, to be Secretary of Homeland Security. Peter R. Orszag, of Massachusetts, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Steven Chu, of California, to be Secretary of Energy. Thomas J. Vilsack, of Iowa, to be Secretary of Agriculture. Kenneth Lee Salazar, of Colorado, to be Secretary of the Interior. Eric K. Shinseki, of Hawaii, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Pages S663 S671
Nominations Received: Senate received the following nominations: Hillary Rodham Clinton, of New York, to be Secretary of State. Dennis Cutler Blair, of Pennsylvania, to be Director of National Intelligence. Steven Chu, of California, to be Secretary of Energy. Michele A. Flournoy, of Maryland, to be Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Thomas Andrew Daschle, of South Dakota, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. Gary Gensler, of Maryland, to be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission for a term expiring April 13, 2012. Shaun L. S. Donovan, of New York, to be Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Gary Gensler, of Maryland, to be Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Arne Duncan, of Illinois, to be Secretary of Education. Austan Dean Goolsbee, of Illinois, to be a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers. Timothy F. Geithner, of New York, to be Secretary of the Treasury. Robert F. Hale, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller). Eric H. Holder, Jr., of the District of Columbia, to be Attorney General. John P. Holdren, of Massachusetts, to be Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy. Lisa Perez Jackson, of New Jersey, to be Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Jeh Charles Johnson, of New York, to be General Counsel of the Department of the Defense. Ronald Kirk, of Texas, to be United States Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador. Jacob J. Lew, of New York, to be Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Ray LaHood, of Illinois, to be Secretary of Transportation. Jane Lubchenco, of Oregon, to be Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere. Janet Ann Napolitano, of Arizona, to be Secretary of Homeland Security. William J. Lynn, III, of the District of Columbia, to be Deputy Secretary of Defense. Peter R. Orszag, of Massachusetts, to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Robert L. Nabors II, of New Jersey, to be Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget. Susan E. Rice, of the District of Columbia, to be the Representative of the United States of America D54to the United Nations, with the rank and status of Ambassador, and the Representative of the United States of America in the Security Council of the United Nations.
[Page: D54] GPO's PDF
Cecilia Elena Rouse, of California, to be Member of the Council of Economic Advisers. Susan E. Rice, of the District of Columbia, to be Representative of the United States of America to the Sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations during her tenure of service as Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations. Mary L. Schapiro, of the District of Columbia, to be a Member of the Securities and Exchange Commission for a term expiring June 5, 2014. Christina Duckworth Romer, of California, to be a Member of the Council of Economic Advisers. James Braidy Steinberg, of Texas, to be Deputy Secretary of State. Kenneth Lee Salazar, of Colorado, to be Secretary of the Interior. Nancy Helen Sutley, of California, to be a Member of the Council on Environmental Quality. Eric K. Shinseki, of Hawaii, to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Daniel K. Tarullo, of Massachusetts, to be Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for a term of fourteen years from February 1, 2008. Hilda L. Solis, of California, to be Secretary of Labor. Thomas J. Vilsack, of Iowa, to be Secretary of Agriculture. Page S671
Additional Cosponsors: Page S670
Additional Statements: Pages S663-67
Adjournment: Senate convened at 3 p.m. and adjourned at 3:58 p.m., until 12 p.m. on Wednesday, January 21, 2009. (For Senate's program, see the remarks of the Acting Majority Leader in today's Record on page S671.)
Thursday, January 22, 2009
South Korea: Burying the Past in the Present
An opinion piece from a daily paper in Seoul.
Truth, reconciliation and a possible return to the past in ROK
In a land with a modern history as complex and turbulent as South Korea, it is fascinating to consider how history is made. And rewritten. As investigators continue to unearth past atrocities, the government has been changing the nation's high-school textbooks in a bid to remedy damaged national pride. The truth may be painful, but the past will not go away once the graves are unearthed and the bodies have been collected and counted. Too many stories have already been lost from a history that continues to be surrounded in an almost impenetrable but customary silence.A case in point is the story of the "comfort women." These women were victims of a typically cruel colonial period which saw Koreans stripped of freedom, identity, and, in many ways, culture. Systematically subjected to physical and sexual abuse by their colonial Japanese masters in what constituted slavery in its basest form, many of these women were left to bury their memories within themselves rather than allow society to confront its own past. It was not until 1991 that the first courageous woman stood up and revealed the horror of her own sexual slavery to the world. In doing so she opened a door to the past and allowed others to come forward.The Gwangju Massacre, now officially referred to by this title, was kept out of the history books for many years, but is now the subject of a popular dramatic film. In many ways this single event provides a sound lesson on modern Korean history; the ultimate expression of the resolve of the people in the face of extreme state repression. The events played a pivotal role in the movement for democratization and the city of Gwangju now prides itself on this popular movement and this history. But the monuments there are also testament to the old adage that history should not be allowed to repeat itself.It is also worth remembering the brutal suppression of the popular uprising on Jeju Island in 1948. The island's population had managed to avoid the reach of the US Military Occupation forces on the mainland and this isolation had allowed a local democratic movement to evolve on the island. The authorities' response was military and decisive and has been described as "one of the most brutal, sustained, and intensive counterinsurgency campaigns in postwar Asia,"(i) resulting in between 14,000 and upward of 30,000 people being killed.(ii) This is one of the many chapters of Korea's recent past currently facing relegation to the footnotes of official history.iiiNow let's turn to contemporary history, the history of the present. South Korea is at a time when political space has opened up enough to allow the nation to reflect on past atrocities committed by the state against its own people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up by President Roh Moo-Hyun on Dec. 1, 2005. Its mandate is to investigate "the anti-Japanese movement during the colonial period and the history of the Korean diaspora; the massacre of civilians after 1945; human rights abuses by the state; incidents of dubious conviction and suspicious death."(iv) This is an honorable undertaking that has earned the commission the description of "a beacon of light in Asia,"(v) one that should set an example for the rest of the region. The findings of the commission speak for themselves, as well as countless dead or silent victims. There is no room to go into depth regarding the findings here, the surface of which has only been touched on by investigators, but it is worth understanding the crimes and the human face of their victims.So far the investigations carried out by the commission have retrieved 965 victims from only ten mass graves, a small fraction of the estimated 168 sites across the country.vi At least 10,907 petitions from individuals and organizations have been submitted to the commission, including "1,200 incidents of mass civilian sacrifice committed by ROK forces and US forces (215 cases)."(vii) Clearly the commission has its work cut out for it.But, alongside 13 other history truth commissions(viii), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is facing budget cuts and mergers proposed by the current administration in the name of efficiency. Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has resolved less than a third of its cases(ix) it seems unlikely that it will be able to function effectively to fulfill its mandate by 2010, when it is scheduled to publish its final report, with the proposed budget and inevitable staff cuts. The other thirteen commissions face a similar if not worse fate.In an honest society, a society where a large enough number of people cherish freedom of expression over censorship and believe in learning lessons from the past in order to escape the cycle of mistakes and violence, the truth has a way of exposing a nation's wounds. At first the pain will seem overwhelming, but in time the wounds will heal. And the scars will serve as a reminder to future generations.People in Korea have recently shown that they will not sit quietly when they are unhappy with the decisions of those wielding power over them. The candlelight protests against US beef imports and the KORUS Free Trade Agreement were a demonstration of popular power in the modern democratic era. It took the old tactics of state repression to quiet them,(x) but the tenuous silence is unlikely to last.There are two currents in Korea at the moment: one is surging up from below, trying to raise the ghosts of history to the surface, and the other is doing its best to keep them submerged. If the latter current is able to employ the methods of the past to suppress the former, albeit in modernized and less deadly forms, the burden of silence will be passed down to a new generation. Reflection needs to be coupled with introspection. It is important to examine the past in order to understand the present, but it is also important to examine the present in order to understand the past.The official argument for the high-school textbook revisions is that the previous textbooks contained a "left-leaning bias" which is potentially damaging to national pride and overshadows such positive developments as economic progress. Opponents of the revisions, on the other hand, point out that textbooks should contain a range of perspectives and be politically neutral.(xi) In the words of the ministry responsible for the changes, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, "Rigorous review procedures will be imposed when revising history textbooks, with the introduction of stricter standards for textbook writing and approval."(xii) In other words, relative academic freedom is being replaced by government censorship, and from the evidence at hand one can make an informed guess as to whose "standards" they refer to.During the Joseon Dynasty, history was recorded by a chronicler who presided at official events alongside the king who was not supposed to see what would be added to official record. This mechanism was supposed to serve as a safeguard against the rewriting of history by rulers.(xiii) Although this precaution was violated by the more despotic rulers of that time, the Lee administration could learn a lot from looking to the more enlightened of its ancestors. It took the courage of millions to throw off the shackles of dictatorship in South Korea and move the hand of the state away from the history pen. In a state that controls both the pen and the sword, does it matter which one is mightier?
Truth, reconciliation and a possible return to the past in ROK
In a land with a modern history as complex and turbulent as South Korea, it is fascinating to consider how history is made. And rewritten. As investigators continue to unearth past atrocities, the government has been changing the nation's high-school textbooks in a bid to remedy damaged national pride. The truth may be painful, but the past will not go away once the graves are unearthed and the bodies have been collected and counted. Too many stories have already been lost from a history that continues to be surrounded in an almost impenetrable but customary silence.A case in point is the story of the "comfort women." These women were victims of a typically cruel colonial period which saw Koreans stripped of freedom, identity, and, in many ways, culture. Systematically subjected to physical and sexual abuse by their colonial Japanese masters in what constituted slavery in its basest form, many of these women were left to bury their memories within themselves rather than allow society to confront its own past. It was not until 1991 that the first courageous woman stood up and revealed the horror of her own sexual slavery to the world. In doing so she opened a door to the past and allowed others to come forward.The Gwangju Massacre, now officially referred to by this title, was kept out of the history books for many years, but is now the subject of a popular dramatic film. In many ways this single event provides a sound lesson on modern Korean history; the ultimate expression of the resolve of the people in the face of extreme state repression. The events played a pivotal role in the movement for democratization and the city of Gwangju now prides itself on this popular movement and this history. But the monuments there are also testament to the old adage that history should not be allowed to repeat itself.It is also worth remembering the brutal suppression of the popular uprising on Jeju Island in 1948. The island's population had managed to avoid the reach of the US Military Occupation forces on the mainland and this isolation had allowed a local democratic movement to evolve on the island. The authorities' response was military and decisive and has been described as "one of the most brutal, sustained, and intensive counterinsurgency campaigns in postwar Asia,"(i) resulting in between 14,000 and upward of 30,000 people being killed.(ii) This is one of the many chapters of Korea's recent past currently facing relegation to the footnotes of official history.iiiNow let's turn to contemporary history, the history of the present. South Korea is at a time when political space has opened up enough to allow the nation to reflect on past atrocities committed by the state against its own people. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was set up by President Roh Moo-Hyun on Dec. 1, 2005. Its mandate is to investigate "the anti-Japanese movement during the colonial period and the history of the Korean diaspora; the massacre of civilians after 1945; human rights abuses by the state; incidents of dubious conviction and suspicious death."(iv) This is an honorable undertaking that has earned the commission the description of "a beacon of light in Asia,"(v) one that should set an example for the rest of the region. The findings of the commission speak for themselves, as well as countless dead or silent victims. There is no room to go into depth regarding the findings here, the surface of which has only been touched on by investigators, but it is worth understanding the crimes and the human face of their victims.So far the investigations carried out by the commission have retrieved 965 victims from only ten mass graves, a small fraction of the estimated 168 sites across the country.vi At least 10,907 petitions from individuals and organizations have been submitted to the commission, including "1,200 incidents of mass civilian sacrifice committed by ROK forces and US forces (215 cases)."(vii) Clearly the commission has its work cut out for it.But, alongside 13 other history truth commissions(viii), the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is facing budget cuts and mergers proposed by the current administration in the name of efficiency. Although the Truth and Reconciliation Commission has resolved less than a third of its cases(ix) it seems unlikely that it will be able to function effectively to fulfill its mandate by 2010, when it is scheduled to publish its final report, with the proposed budget and inevitable staff cuts. The other thirteen commissions face a similar if not worse fate.In an honest society, a society where a large enough number of people cherish freedom of expression over censorship and believe in learning lessons from the past in order to escape the cycle of mistakes and violence, the truth has a way of exposing a nation's wounds. At first the pain will seem overwhelming, but in time the wounds will heal. And the scars will serve as a reminder to future generations.People in Korea have recently shown that they will not sit quietly when they are unhappy with the decisions of those wielding power over them. The candlelight protests against US beef imports and the KORUS Free Trade Agreement were a demonstration of popular power in the modern democratic era. It took the old tactics of state repression to quiet them,(x) but the tenuous silence is unlikely to last.There are two currents in Korea at the moment: one is surging up from below, trying to raise the ghosts of history to the surface, and the other is doing its best to keep them submerged. If the latter current is able to employ the methods of the past to suppress the former, albeit in modernized and less deadly forms, the burden of silence will be passed down to a new generation. Reflection needs to be coupled with introspection. It is important to examine the past in order to understand the present, but it is also important to examine the present in order to understand the past.The official argument for the high-school textbook revisions is that the previous textbooks contained a "left-leaning bias" which is potentially damaging to national pride and overshadows such positive developments as economic progress. Opponents of the revisions, on the other hand, point out that textbooks should contain a range of perspectives and be politically neutral.(xi) In the words of the ministry responsible for the changes, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, "Rigorous review procedures will be imposed when revising history textbooks, with the introduction of stricter standards for textbook writing and approval."(xii) In other words, relative academic freedom is being replaced by government censorship, and from the evidence at hand one can make an informed guess as to whose "standards" they refer to.During the Joseon Dynasty, history was recorded by a chronicler who presided at official events alongside the king who was not supposed to see what would be added to official record. This mechanism was supposed to serve as a safeguard against the rewriting of history by rulers.(xiii) Although this precaution was violated by the more despotic rulers of that time, the Lee administration could learn a lot from looking to the more enlightened of its ancestors. It took the courage of millions to throw off the shackles of dictatorship in South Korea and move the hand of the state away from the history pen. In a state that controls both the pen and the sword, does it matter which one is mightier?
Friday, January 16, 2009
Snow Falls on the Land of Morning Calm
The snow, deep enough to dip one's feet upto their ankles, silently fell on the ground and purely covered the filth of nights. Beautiful, I thought. It is the first snow of the year and made us felt warm and willing to send out loving messages to our beloveds.
Colleagues and I shall go up to Mt. Nam for a brief supper, celebrating the first snow and welcoming a newcomer. People with good hearts; rather transparant; people like me I dare say. Many times, I speculate how fortunate I was born into this world (often still bearing the dignifed love and honor despite all unspeakable atrocities and hatred committeed corners thereof), have met those that I have met in life, and have done what I've done so far. Everything seems coming into one big picture as times goes by. Pieces often had confused me; not knowing what part I was playing, I've spent an immense amount of time blindly and desperately searching for whereabouts of mine in that bloody big picture and tried to grasp what I was to become. Now, things seem a little clearer, and my eyes a little less blind. And my heart becomes as white and pure as the snow freshly laid on an isolate mountain and filled with joy. Gosh, I love that I'am alive and exist with assignments imposed upon me!
Warmest regards on a snowy day,
Love,
Alexa.
Colleagues and I shall go up to Mt. Nam for a brief supper, celebrating the first snow and welcoming a newcomer. People with good hearts; rather transparant; people like me I dare say. Many times, I speculate how fortunate I was born into this world (often still bearing the dignifed love and honor despite all unspeakable atrocities and hatred committeed corners thereof), have met those that I have met in life, and have done what I've done so far. Everything seems coming into one big picture as times goes by. Pieces often had confused me; not knowing what part I was playing, I've spent an immense amount of time blindly and desperately searching for whereabouts of mine in that bloody big picture and tried to grasp what I was to become. Now, things seem a little clearer, and my eyes a little less blind. And my heart becomes as white and pure as the snow freshly laid on an isolate mountain and filled with joy. Gosh, I love that I'am alive and exist with assignments imposed upon me!
Warmest regards on a snowy day,
Love,
Alexa.
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Park Jeong-hee's Legacy on Dong-A Daily [Dong-A Ttuwoe 동아투위]
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Korea found the lay-offs of over a hundred of journalists at Dong-a Daily newspaper who were not following the emergency sensorship regulations from the Park Jeong-hee's government was illegitimate and the KCIA (now, NIS) was involved to press its advertisers to literally block the money flow of the paper in 1975. See details below and let me know if you have trouble to read it.
Here, a representative Korea's progressive monthly journals "Mal [말]" published a story how much resemblance is there in the current government striving to pass a bill allowing congromerates to run media. The author stresses out Park Jeong-hee's government used the NIS (the former KCIA) to suppress the press, while the current government uses the chaebol to do the job. Let me know if you want to find more about the story.
월간 말 2009-01-06
언론탄압 선봉에 선 재벌
[월간 말 1월호 뉴스추적-이명박의 언론장악]
당시 동아일보 편집부 기자이면서 노조 조직부장을 지냈고, 송건호 선생이 민주언론운동협의회 의장이었을 당시 『말』 편집인이었던 성유보 선생(66세)과 현재 동아자유언론수호투쟁위원회 위원장(66세)이며 민주언론운동협의회 2대 회장과 『말』 발행인을 맡았던 정동익 선생(66세)을 만났다. 이들은 이명박 정부의 언론장악 음모를 지켜보면서 “박정희 정권 때는 정치권력이 중앙정보부를 앞세워 언론을 장악하고 감시했는데, 지금 이명박 정권은 재벌을 앞세워서 권력과 재벌연합 형식으로 가고 있다”고 일갈하면서 “언론은 수구 기득권층의 이익을 대변하는 곳이 돼서는 안 되며, 사회의 정의를 바로세우기 위해서 의식이 깨어 있는 기자가 돼야 한다”고 당부했다. 아래는 성유보, 정동익 선생과의 일문일답이다.
▲ 성유보 선생월간말 동아일보 광고탄압사건은 무엇입니까?
성유보 박정희 유신시대에 우리의 언론자유를 위한 투쟁은 동아일보 기자들을 중심으로 일어났고, 다른 신문사로도 많이 확산되었다. 그때 젊은 나이에 사명감 때문에 ‘감옥에 가도 좋다’ 이렇게 되니까 박정희 정권이 기자들에게 겁만 줘서는 해결이 안 되겠다 싶어 꺼낸 마지막 카드가 동아일보 경영진에 대한 협박이었다.
동아일보의 김 씨 일가에 대한 조사를 했고, 광고로 협박하기 시작했다. 그러던 어느 날 일제히 광고가 사라졌다. 그때가 74년 12월 이다. 동아일보는 ‘회사가 망하겠다’라는 생각과, ‘박정희 유신정권과 싸워서는 승산이 없다’는 패배주의에 젖었다. 말하자면 어쩔 줄을 몰랐다. 우리는 ‘광고로 수입이 줄어들면 봉급이라도 깎겠다’는 각오였다.
당시 국민들은 ‘동아일보 광고탄압’에 대한 분노가 팽배했기 때문에 국민들이 기업 대신에 도와줬다. 그것도 동아일보가 한 것이 아니라, 기자들과 광고국에서 ‘격려광고’라는 것을 만들었다. 박정희 정권으로 보면 훨씬 불리해졌고, 이후 동아일보에 엄청난 압박을 가하게 된다.
▲ 정동익 선생월간말 당시 국가공권력에 의한 언론탄압의 사례에 대해 말씀해주세요.
정동익 ‘긴급조치 시대’인 1970년대에 박정희 유신독재정권은 포악한 탄압을 전 방위적으로 자행했다. 언론사에는 상시적으로 중앙정보부를 비롯해 경찰과 보안사 요원 등 각종 기관원들이 상주하다시피 했다. 그들은 “학생데모 기사는 안 된다, 야당총재 기자회견의 사진을 빼라, 심지어 연탄 값 인상에 대한 기사가 나왔는데 연탄 값 인상이라고 쓰지 말고 연탄 값 현실화라고 써라” 이렇게 기사의 문장 하나까지도 간섭을 하고 일일이 지시했다.
월간말 그렇다면 당시 언론장악에 맞섰던 동아투위의 모습은 어떠했습니까?
정동익 그 전에도 자유언론 수호선언을 세 차례 했지만, 선언에만 그치고 실천이 제대로 이행되지 못해서 언론탄압에 맞설 수 있는 힘을 갖추지 못했다. 그래서 자유언론 수호선언이 아닌 ‘자유언론 실천선언’을 한 것이다. 성명서 낭독에 그치지 말고 실천을 하자는 것이었다. 취재와 편집과정에서의 부당한 외부의 압력이나 지시에 항의했고, 매일 저녁에 모여서 그날 어떤 기사가 누락되었고 어떤 기사가 제대로 평가되지 못했는지를 가려냈다.
월간말 ‘진실과 화해를 위한 과거사정리위원회’의 사과배상 권고에 대해 동아일보사는 어떤 입장입니까?
성유보 동아일보사를 지금도 이해할 수 없는 것이, 그 당시 회사가 망할 판이니까 박정희와 타협을 했다 하더라도 지금에서는 ‘옛날에 어쩔 수 없었다’는 사과를 할 수 있다고 생각한다. 지금 나 역시도 젊은 사람들이 동아일보를 ‘쓰레기’라고 하는 것을 이해한다.
정동익 중앙정보부의 탄압을 받고 백지광고 사태가 일어났고, 언론인 해직사태가 일어났음을 모두 알고 있는데도 정부와 동아일보는 모르쇠로 일관하고 있다. 이번에 진실화회위에서 정식으로 인정해준 것은 역사적으로 평가할 만한 가치가 있다. 용기 있는 결정에 고맙게 생각한다. 권고대로 동아일보와 정부는 광고탄압의 진상에 대해서 피해언론인들에게 사과하고 화해조치를 취해야 마땅하다. 그래서 10월 29일부터 11월 17일까지 3주간 동아일보 앞에서 1인 시위를 하면서 사과와 화해조치를 요구했지만, 정부와 동아일보사는 응답이 없다. 또한 동아일보는 사보를 통해 태도를 밝혀야 함에도, 이름 없는 기자가 쓴 기사 형식으로 ‘과거 유신정권 시절 판결이 났다’고 기사화했다. 동아일보사는 시효가 지난 것이라고 이야기하지만, 역사적인 사건이 진실화해위에서 재평가된 것은 인혁당, 43사건 등에서 알 수 있는 것처럼 시효가 다시 시작하는 걸로 판결이 나고 있다.
월간말 지금의 동아일보에 대해 어떻게 생각하십니까?
성유보 내가 볼 때 동아일보는 공간이 있으면 얘기를 하다가도 아니라고 생각되면 잇속을 챙기고 들어간다. 지금에서 보면 이미 그 단계도 지난 것이다. 지금은 공간이 있음에도 말하지 않는다. 민주주의의 언론이라고 볼 수가 없다. 스스로가 파시즘에 빠진 언론으로 보인다.
정동익 지금의 동아일보는 그때와는 판이하게 다르다. 그 당시에는 모든 국민들이 신뢰하고 보고 싶어 하는 동아일보였는데, 지금은 뜻있는 시민들의 지탄을 받고 있다. 한때 동아일보에 몸담았던 한 사람으로서 너무 안타깝고 가슴 아프게 생각할 때가 많다. 당시 동아일보에 있던 편집국 기자들 절반 이상을 내쫓은 뒤에 과거 동아일보의 정신을 일탈해서 완전히 수구 기득권층의 이익을 대변하는 곳으로 변질된 것이 아닌가 생각한다.
월간말 박정희 정권시절의 언론 상황과 현재 이명박 정권의 언론 상황을 비교할 수 있겠습니까?
성유보 이명박 정권은 정치적인 부분에 대해 박정희를 사부로 생각하는 것이 아닌가라는 생각이 든다. (웃음) 그런데 박정희 식으로는 갈 수가 없다. 33년이 흘렀는데, 유신시대로 돌아갈 수 있겠는가? 정신 상태는 비슷한데, 박정희 식의 권력행사는 어렵다. 그런데 이런 부분을 무시하고 가려고 계속 발버둥을 치는 것 같다.
정동익 박정희 정권 때는 정치권력이 중앙정보부를 앞세워서 언론을 장악하고 감시했는데, 지금 이명박 정권은 재벌을 앞세워서 권력과 재벌연합 형식으로 가고 있다. 그래서 방송 같은 것도 족벌언론과 재벌에게 넘겨주려 하고 있고, 여론을 자기들이 좌지우지하여 다양성을 말살시키려 한다. 과거에는 권력 위주로 언론을 탄압했으면, 지금은 그 자리에 자본이 들어왔다고 본다.
월간말 후배 기자들에게 당부하고 싶은 말은 무엇입니까?
성유보 지금 한국사회는 큰 측면에서는70, 80년대보다 국민의식과 민주의식이 높아졌는데, 아직 과제가 있다. 자기주장만 하고 남의 주장을 안 듣는다. 다른 의견일수록 들어야 한다. 우리 사회가 한 단계 성숙하려면 그런 관점에서 사회를 보고 특히 언론에서 다른 것은 인정하고 같은 것은 함께하는 언론인이 되어야 한다.
정동익 언론인이라면 단순한 정보전달자나 월급쟁이가 아닌 사명감과 소명의식이 있어야 한다. 과거 일제나 독재정권 때는 독립운동을 위해서 신채호 선생님 같은 지사적 언론인들이 활동했는데, 지금은 언론탄압이 있어도 다시 언론자유를 위해 싸울 수 있는 지사적인 언론인, 사회적인 약자나 소외계층을 위해서 제대로 보도할 수 있는 언론인, 불의를 미워하고 바로세울 수 있는 언론인이 없다. 민족사적 과제인 통일을 가져올 수 있는 기자가 필요하다. 사회의 정의를 바로세우기 위해서 의식이 깨어 있는 기자가 되길 바란다.
조문식 기자 journalist@mal.co.kr
Here, a representative Korea's progressive monthly journals "Mal [말]" published a story how much resemblance is there in the current government striving to pass a bill allowing congromerates to run media. The author stresses out Park Jeong-hee's government used the NIS (the former KCIA) to suppress the press, while the current government uses the chaebol to do the job. Let me know if you want to find more about the story.
월간 말 2009-01-06
언론탄압 선봉에 선 재벌
[월간 말 1월호 뉴스추적-이명박의 언론장악]
당시 동아일보 편집부 기자이면서 노조 조직부장을 지냈고, 송건호 선생이 민주언론운동협의회 의장이었을 당시 『말』 편집인이었던 성유보 선생(66세)과 현재 동아자유언론수호투쟁위원회 위원장(66세)이며 민주언론운동협의회 2대 회장과 『말』 발행인을 맡았던 정동익 선생(66세)을 만났다. 이들은 이명박 정부의 언론장악 음모를 지켜보면서 “박정희 정권 때는 정치권력이 중앙정보부를 앞세워 언론을 장악하고 감시했는데, 지금 이명박 정권은 재벌을 앞세워서 권력과 재벌연합 형식으로 가고 있다”고 일갈하면서 “언론은 수구 기득권층의 이익을 대변하는 곳이 돼서는 안 되며, 사회의 정의를 바로세우기 위해서 의식이 깨어 있는 기자가 돼야 한다”고 당부했다. 아래는 성유보, 정동익 선생과의 일문일답이다.
▲ 성유보 선생월간말 동아일보 광고탄압사건은 무엇입니까?
성유보 박정희 유신시대에 우리의 언론자유를 위한 투쟁은 동아일보 기자들을 중심으로 일어났고, 다른 신문사로도 많이 확산되었다. 그때 젊은 나이에 사명감 때문에 ‘감옥에 가도 좋다’ 이렇게 되니까 박정희 정권이 기자들에게 겁만 줘서는 해결이 안 되겠다 싶어 꺼낸 마지막 카드가 동아일보 경영진에 대한 협박이었다.
동아일보의 김 씨 일가에 대한 조사를 했고, 광고로 협박하기 시작했다. 그러던 어느 날 일제히 광고가 사라졌다. 그때가 74년 12월 이다. 동아일보는 ‘회사가 망하겠다’라는 생각과, ‘박정희 유신정권과 싸워서는 승산이 없다’는 패배주의에 젖었다. 말하자면 어쩔 줄을 몰랐다. 우리는 ‘광고로 수입이 줄어들면 봉급이라도 깎겠다’는 각오였다.
당시 국민들은 ‘동아일보 광고탄압’에 대한 분노가 팽배했기 때문에 국민들이 기업 대신에 도와줬다. 그것도 동아일보가 한 것이 아니라, 기자들과 광고국에서 ‘격려광고’라는 것을 만들었다. 박정희 정권으로 보면 훨씬 불리해졌고, 이후 동아일보에 엄청난 압박을 가하게 된다.
▲ 정동익 선생월간말 당시 국가공권력에 의한 언론탄압의 사례에 대해 말씀해주세요.
정동익 ‘긴급조치 시대’인 1970년대에 박정희 유신독재정권은 포악한 탄압을 전 방위적으로 자행했다. 언론사에는 상시적으로 중앙정보부를 비롯해 경찰과 보안사 요원 등 각종 기관원들이 상주하다시피 했다. 그들은 “학생데모 기사는 안 된다, 야당총재 기자회견의 사진을 빼라, 심지어 연탄 값 인상에 대한 기사가 나왔는데 연탄 값 인상이라고 쓰지 말고 연탄 값 현실화라고 써라” 이렇게 기사의 문장 하나까지도 간섭을 하고 일일이 지시했다.
월간말 그렇다면 당시 언론장악에 맞섰던 동아투위의 모습은 어떠했습니까?
정동익 그 전에도 자유언론 수호선언을 세 차례 했지만, 선언에만 그치고 실천이 제대로 이행되지 못해서 언론탄압에 맞설 수 있는 힘을 갖추지 못했다. 그래서 자유언론 수호선언이 아닌 ‘자유언론 실천선언’을 한 것이다. 성명서 낭독에 그치지 말고 실천을 하자는 것이었다. 취재와 편집과정에서의 부당한 외부의 압력이나 지시에 항의했고, 매일 저녁에 모여서 그날 어떤 기사가 누락되었고 어떤 기사가 제대로 평가되지 못했는지를 가려냈다.
월간말 ‘진실과 화해를 위한 과거사정리위원회’의 사과배상 권고에 대해 동아일보사는 어떤 입장입니까?
성유보 동아일보사를 지금도 이해할 수 없는 것이, 그 당시 회사가 망할 판이니까 박정희와 타협을 했다 하더라도 지금에서는 ‘옛날에 어쩔 수 없었다’는 사과를 할 수 있다고 생각한다. 지금 나 역시도 젊은 사람들이 동아일보를 ‘쓰레기’라고 하는 것을 이해한다.
정동익 중앙정보부의 탄압을 받고 백지광고 사태가 일어났고, 언론인 해직사태가 일어났음을 모두 알고 있는데도 정부와 동아일보는 모르쇠로 일관하고 있다. 이번에 진실화회위에서 정식으로 인정해준 것은 역사적으로 평가할 만한 가치가 있다. 용기 있는 결정에 고맙게 생각한다. 권고대로 동아일보와 정부는 광고탄압의 진상에 대해서 피해언론인들에게 사과하고 화해조치를 취해야 마땅하다. 그래서 10월 29일부터 11월 17일까지 3주간 동아일보 앞에서 1인 시위를 하면서 사과와 화해조치를 요구했지만, 정부와 동아일보사는 응답이 없다. 또한 동아일보는 사보를 통해 태도를 밝혀야 함에도, 이름 없는 기자가 쓴 기사 형식으로 ‘과거 유신정권 시절 판결이 났다’고 기사화했다. 동아일보사는 시효가 지난 것이라고 이야기하지만, 역사적인 사건이 진실화해위에서 재평가된 것은 인혁당, 43사건 등에서 알 수 있는 것처럼 시효가 다시 시작하는 걸로 판결이 나고 있다.
월간말 지금의 동아일보에 대해 어떻게 생각하십니까?
성유보 내가 볼 때 동아일보는 공간이 있으면 얘기를 하다가도 아니라고 생각되면 잇속을 챙기고 들어간다. 지금에서 보면 이미 그 단계도 지난 것이다. 지금은 공간이 있음에도 말하지 않는다. 민주주의의 언론이라고 볼 수가 없다. 스스로가 파시즘에 빠진 언론으로 보인다.
정동익 지금의 동아일보는 그때와는 판이하게 다르다. 그 당시에는 모든 국민들이 신뢰하고 보고 싶어 하는 동아일보였는데, 지금은 뜻있는 시민들의 지탄을 받고 있다. 한때 동아일보에 몸담았던 한 사람으로서 너무 안타깝고 가슴 아프게 생각할 때가 많다. 당시 동아일보에 있던 편집국 기자들 절반 이상을 내쫓은 뒤에 과거 동아일보의 정신을 일탈해서 완전히 수구 기득권층의 이익을 대변하는 곳으로 변질된 것이 아닌가 생각한다.
월간말 박정희 정권시절의 언론 상황과 현재 이명박 정권의 언론 상황을 비교할 수 있겠습니까?
성유보 이명박 정권은 정치적인 부분에 대해 박정희를 사부로 생각하는 것이 아닌가라는 생각이 든다. (웃음) 그런데 박정희 식으로는 갈 수가 없다. 33년이 흘렀는데, 유신시대로 돌아갈 수 있겠는가? 정신 상태는 비슷한데, 박정희 식의 권력행사는 어렵다. 그런데 이런 부분을 무시하고 가려고 계속 발버둥을 치는 것 같다.
정동익 박정희 정권 때는 정치권력이 중앙정보부를 앞세워서 언론을 장악하고 감시했는데, 지금 이명박 정권은 재벌을 앞세워서 권력과 재벌연합 형식으로 가고 있다. 그래서 방송 같은 것도 족벌언론과 재벌에게 넘겨주려 하고 있고, 여론을 자기들이 좌지우지하여 다양성을 말살시키려 한다. 과거에는 권력 위주로 언론을 탄압했으면, 지금은 그 자리에 자본이 들어왔다고 본다.
월간말 후배 기자들에게 당부하고 싶은 말은 무엇입니까?
성유보 지금 한국사회는 큰 측면에서는70, 80년대보다 국민의식과 민주의식이 높아졌는데, 아직 과제가 있다. 자기주장만 하고 남의 주장을 안 듣는다. 다른 의견일수록 들어야 한다. 우리 사회가 한 단계 성숙하려면 그런 관점에서 사회를 보고 특히 언론에서 다른 것은 인정하고 같은 것은 함께하는 언론인이 되어야 한다.
정동익 언론인이라면 단순한 정보전달자나 월급쟁이가 아닌 사명감과 소명의식이 있어야 한다. 과거 일제나 독재정권 때는 독립운동을 위해서 신채호 선생님 같은 지사적 언론인들이 활동했는데, 지금은 언론탄압이 있어도 다시 언론자유를 위해 싸울 수 있는 지사적인 언론인, 사회적인 약자나 소외계층을 위해서 제대로 보도할 수 있는 언론인, 불의를 미워하고 바로세울 수 있는 언론인이 없다. 민족사적 과제인 통일을 가져올 수 있는 기자가 필요하다. 사회의 정의를 바로세우기 위해서 의식이 깨어 있는 기자가 되길 바란다.
조문식 기자 journalist@mal.co.kr
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Stop the Killings in Gaza!
Have some said history tends to repeat?; has the man kind never learnt anything from the past?
It only makes feel reckless to think of how the state of Israel was established, how much of suffering Jews had to endure before that, and how the state of Jews has passed on this suffering to the others. According to the reports by the Associated Press, in total, there have been at least 541 Palestinians casualities, with more than 2400 injured. Alas! Is this truely the nation of which people had been through the halocaust and supposedly fed up with the notion of mass killings? Needless to mention, we see the moral hazard of the nations, particularly the US, once again become prevalent. Seriously.. what good is spending years after years to dig out the truth and ask for apologies where no one has a tiny bit of interest to do so?
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009
Article history
Civilian toll soars as troops and tanks press into Gaza
Israeli forces were locked in heavy fighting in northern Gaza last night with intensive artillery strikes and jet bombing in the north and across Gaza City as the military pledged to press on with its attack.
On the 10th day of the conflict, Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, insisted his country's troops had not finished their operation despite mounting Palestinian casualties and growing international calls for a ceasefire.
"Hamas has so far sustained a very heavy blow from us, but we have yet to achieve our objective and therefore the operation continues," Barak said.
Israeli forces have already pushed deep into Gaza but last night appeared to be stepping up their fight, with witnesses reporting wave after wave of bombing strikes across the north of the territory accompanied by gunfire from helicopters and artillery from land and sea. The military said it had bombed more smuggling tunnels across the border with Egypt in the south and hit more than 40 other sites across Gaza including buildings storing weapons and rocket launching areas.
As Israeli troops and tanks pressed deeper into Gaza, the toll of civilian casualties rose rapidly. The UN said at least 94 Palestinians had been killed since the ground offensive began on Saturday night. In one incident yesterday a house in Zeitoun, south-east of Gaza City, was hit by tank shells killing at least nine people, including at least four children. In the Shamali district, north of the city, an Israeli bomb destroyed a three-storey house killing a family of seven, including four children.
In total at least 541 Palestinians have died since Israel's operation began, with more than 2,400 injured. Hospitals have been overwhelmed: morgues were crowded with bodies and injured patients had to be treated in hallways. On the Israeli side eight people, including five soldiers, have died and about 60, mostly soldiers, have been hurt. Early today the Israeli military said that three soldiers were killed and four injured when a tank shell was fired in error.
In Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, the most senior leader of Hamas in the strip and a hardliner in the movement, appeared on the party's al-Aqsa television station and gave a defiant speech threatening attacks not only in Gaza but elsewhere.
"The Zionists have legitimised the killing of their children by killing our children. They have legitimised the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people," Zahar said. He urged Hamas fighters to "crush your enemy".
Another Hamas figure, a recognised military spokesman called Abu Ubaida, said thousands of Hamas fighters were waiting in Gaza to take on the Israeli military and said rocket attacks would increase. More than 40 were fired into southern Israel yesterday, including one that landed in an empty kindergarten, which has been closed since the conflict began, like all schools near the Gaza border.
Israeli troops are now deployed in and around the major urban areas of Gaza, particularly in the north, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya. They have ordered residents in many areas to leave their homes with leaflets, telephone calls and radio announcements forcing at least 15,000 Palestinians to flee to safety elsewhere. At least 5,000 are staying in 11 different UN schools and shelters.
The UN said more than a million Gazans were still without electricity or water and that it was increasingly difficult for staff to distribute aid or reach the injured. It said more diesel was needed to reopen the strip's sole power plant, shut for a week.
It only makes feel reckless to think of how the state of Israel was established, how much of suffering Jews had to endure before that, and how the state of Jews has passed on this suffering to the others. According to the reports by the Associated Press, in total, there have been at least 541 Palestinians casualities, with more than 2400 injured. Alas! Is this truely the nation of which people had been through the halocaust and supposedly fed up with the notion of mass killings? Needless to mention, we see the moral hazard of the nations, particularly the US, once again become prevalent. Seriously.. what good is spending years after years to dig out the truth and ask for apologies where no one has a tiny bit of interest to do so?
Rory McCarthy in Jerusalem
The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009
Article history
Civilian toll soars as troops and tanks press into Gaza
Israeli forces were locked in heavy fighting in northern Gaza last night with intensive artillery strikes and jet bombing in the north and across Gaza City as the military pledged to press on with its attack.
On the 10th day of the conflict, Israel's defence minister, Ehud Barak, insisted his country's troops had not finished their operation despite mounting Palestinian casualties and growing international calls for a ceasefire.
"Hamas has so far sustained a very heavy blow from us, but we have yet to achieve our objective and therefore the operation continues," Barak said.
Israeli forces have already pushed deep into Gaza but last night appeared to be stepping up their fight, with witnesses reporting wave after wave of bombing strikes across the north of the territory accompanied by gunfire from helicopters and artillery from land and sea. The military said it had bombed more smuggling tunnels across the border with Egypt in the south and hit more than 40 other sites across Gaza including buildings storing weapons and rocket launching areas.
As Israeli troops and tanks pressed deeper into Gaza, the toll of civilian casualties rose rapidly. The UN said at least 94 Palestinians had been killed since the ground offensive began on Saturday night. In one incident yesterday a house in Zeitoun, south-east of Gaza City, was hit by tank shells killing at least nine people, including at least four children. In the Shamali district, north of the city, an Israeli bomb destroyed a three-storey house killing a family of seven, including four children.
In total at least 541 Palestinians have died since Israel's operation began, with more than 2,400 injured. Hospitals have been overwhelmed: morgues were crowded with bodies and injured patients had to be treated in hallways. On the Israeli side eight people, including five soldiers, have died and about 60, mostly soldiers, have been hurt. Early today the Israeli military said that three soldiers were killed and four injured when a tank shell was fired in error.
In Gaza, Mahmoud Zahar, the most senior leader of Hamas in the strip and a hardliner in the movement, appeared on the party's al-Aqsa television station and gave a defiant speech threatening attacks not only in Gaza but elsewhere.
"The Zionists have legitimised the killing of their children by killing our children. They have legitimised the killing of their people all over the world by killing our people," Zahar said. He urged Hamas fighters to "crush your enemy".
Another Hamas figure, a recognised military spokesman called Abu Ubaida, said thousands of Hamas fighters were waiting in Gaza to take on the Israeli military and said rocket attacks would increase. More than 40 were fired into southern Israel yesterday, including one that landed in an empty kindergarten, which has been closed since the conflict began, like all schools near the Gaza border.
Israeli troops are now deployed in and around the major urban areas of Gaza, particularly in the north, including Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahiya and Jabaliya. They have ordered residents in many areas to leave their homes with leaflets, telephone calls and radio announcements forcing at least 15,000 Palestinians to flee to safety elsewhere. At least 5,000 are staying in 11 different UN schools and shelters.
The UN said more than a million Gazans were still without electricity or water and that it was increasingly difficult for staff to distribute aid or reach the injured. It said more diesel was needed to reopen the strip's sole power plant, shut for a week.
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