By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

The prosecution said Wednesday it will investigate a progressive civic group’s campaigns to get people to boycott companies that advertised in conservative newspapers, and to influence firms to stop advertising.

The NGO ``Consumers’ Rights on the Media’’ has been holding an advertisement boycott campaign against three major conservative newspapers ― the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Donga Ilbo.

The group’s representative Kim Seong-kyun said the papers had blinded their readers on various social issues by writing one-sided stories.

Kim’s group called the marketing staff of Kwang Dong Pharmaceuticals multiple times to get them to stop advertising in the newspapers. The group said the drug maker had placed 20 times more ads in conservative papers than liberal ones, and that if it carried on with an ``unbalanced marketing strategy,’’ they would boycott its products.

After being bombarded with thousands of protest calls through June 8 to 9 the company said it would run ads in papers in a more balanced manner. The next day, it said it would place ads in Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang dailies, classified as liberal media here.

Boycott Against Samsung

The NGO’s next target was Samsung, with Kim starting a one-man protest in front of a Samsung building in central Seoul while group members targeted Samsung headquarters and other facilities.

The Seoul Central Prosecutors’ Office said that such actions could constitute damaging business activities.

Investigators are seeking to summon Kim and plan to file for an arrest warrant should he not appear at their office.

Some conservative civic groups are planning to sue the NGO.

``People read newspapers to share their ideas and it is natural that they are inclined to agree with them. The group’s campaign caused damage to businesses because Kwang Dong had to pay extra for unplanned ads,’’ said Lee Heon, the lawyer for the conservatives.

The NGO countered that boycotting products was the right of consumers and was allowed in many other countries including the United States.

Kim said, ``The three papers led people to have the wrong ideas based on the wrong facts. The money these companies pay for advertising keeps them doing it, so it is our right to ask them not to do so.’’

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr