[Editorial] Radicals Threaten Freedom of Speech and Public Order

Radical liberals are threatening to boycott products of companies that advertise in the country’s three major dailies: The Dong-A Ilbo, The Chosun Ilbo and The JoongAng Ilbo. They have posted threats on the homepages of corporations and even cursed at the dailies’ advertising staff on the phone. The sponsors’ list and their contact information were leaked on an online debate forum, showing a systematic and organized move by socialists disguised as grumbling netizens.

Advertising constitutes the core of legitimate corporate marketing. Corporations talk to customers and promote their products through advertising to earn more profit. When firms cannot run ads as they wish, sales and consumption decline and corporate earnings dwindle, eventually hurting the economy and the people.

Hindering corporate entities from choosing where to advertise is interference in business activities. One caller even threatened to kill the family of a marketing staff member. Liberal radicals, hiding behind the wall of anonymity, mistakenly believe that what they do is good and that all others are evil. Otherwise, they could not have resorted to such blatantly illegal and immoral acts with such force. They must believe they are carrying out social reform.

Newspaper companies print dailies and run business with earnings from advertising. Exercising coercion on advertisers threatens freedom of speech, a core doctrine of democracy. A rational company will seek to run ads in newspapers with huge circulations and promoting market-friendly ideas.

Past military governments tried in vain to compromise The Dong-A Ilbo’s integrity by threatening advertisers. The former Roh Moo-hyun administration did the same by slashing public ad orders with our daily. Now, the threat is from liberals in the name of a consumer movement. But what they are doing is no different from previous acts of coercion.

If the liberals don’t like the three largest dailies, they can freely choose liberal newspapers for subscription and advertising. This digital age has posed severe hardship to print media. The entire media industry should band together to sail through this uncharted era. But certain liberal newspapers have sided with those who threaten freedom of expression. This is regrettable.

The Dong-A Ilbo will take legal action against Daum.net and other portal sites that have abetted cyber violence and their culprits. Furthermore, it is extremely regrettable for authorities to sit idle while watching angry liberal mobs vandalize the buildings of newspapers and threaten advertisers. Under these circumstances, can we really say we live in a democratic country?