The paper proud of being part of the nation’s success story
Korea Times marks diamond jubilee
The Korea Times marks its 60th anniversary today.
The daily published its inaugural issue four months after the outbreak of the Korean War (1950-1953). A person’s hwangap (60th birthday in Korean) has special significance in East Asia as it symbolizes accomplishing one big circle and the start of another circle in life. As the paper celebrates its diamond jubilee, we are envisioning the next 60 years for Korea and English journalism.
During the turbulent past, the resources-less country has transformed itself into the world’s 14th largest economy and emerged from being a war-torn poor country that had a per capita income equal to that of Kenya. The country is one of the few in the world which has simultaneously achieved impressive growth and full democracy from war-torn ashes. It is the only country in the world to become a donor nation from being a recipient.
Without the participation of the UN-flagged allies, the country could not enjoy the fruits of democracy, capitalism, liberty and freedom. Korea is now a key ally to major global powers. Its ascendancy over North Korea proves that a market democracy is better than socialism and communism. Seoul has enough reason to be proud of its successful diplomacy. Worldwide, the country does not maintain enemy-state relations except for with North Korea. Korea has also changed from a resentful subject to Japan to an equal partner with it.
Another feat is the nation has begun to face the truth about its unpleasant past and make amends to the victims.
The emergence of such global household brands as Samsung, Hyundai and LG is also a proud legacy of the country.
Korea has also successfully hosted international events such as the Asian Games, Summer Olympics and FIFA World Cup. It is no coincidence that Korea is hosting the G20 summit in Seoul this month.
The accomplishments are victories of the Korean people, who worked more, spent less and sacrificed themselves for their children in the hope that tomorrow would be better than today.
It is important to note that without international help, this feat would not have been possible.
Such accomplishments did not come without cost. When leaders took the right path, Koreans followed with enthusiasm. When leaders deviated toward authoritarianism, Koreans risked their lives for the causes they cherished.
This paper is proud of being a part of the success story of the country. The daily played a watchdog role against dictatorial rule, and suffered hardships as it was pierced with caustic criticism of the dictatorial rule of the Syngman Rhee administration. The authorities detained and interrogated two managing editors Henry Chang and Hong Soon-il in 1958 and 1973, respectively, for articles critical of the authoritarian regimes.
Our mission is the same as the one we stated in our inaugural editorial; we stated then that we would help the world learn about what’s happening in Korea and make it possible for Korea to know the world better, with the dedication to building a free, democratic and unified country. It also acknowledged the commitment to reciprocating the unfailing assistance and support from free and peace-loving nations worldwide.
The daily retains many firsts in English journalism. It is the nation’s longest-running independent English daily. It aims to be the nation’s first global daily and the first messenger of the soul of Korea.
The Thoughts of the Times column is the first personal and participatory journalism in the country, with contributors from all walks of life, from home and abroad. It is the first and the only daily which sponsors the Modern Korean Literature Translation Awards (in 1970) with the ultimate goal of seeing a Korean win the Nobel Prize for Literature. It was the first to introduce the concept of an official daily through the publication of such international events as the Seoul Olympics and the APEC summit in Busan.
In this Internet era, printed media worldwide is on the wane. The English daily has found a new golden niche for another takeoff. Before the Internet, its readership was confined mostly to readers in Korea. In the Internet and smartphone age, our readership has spread worldwide. As Korea is globalizing, foreign interest in Korea has been growing. Indeed, the daily is now exporting articles worldwide on a real-time basis.
As we prepare for another diamond jubilee, we hope to see a unified Korea. We will stand at the vanguard to ensure that the country will be prosperous and war-free without ideological conflict, free from tension between the rich and the poor, the South and the North, parochial regionalism, racial tension and environmental destruction. We hope Korea’s philanthropic mission will extend beyond the Peninsula. We expect Korea to become a middle power playing the role of coordinator between the industrialized and developing countries.
The Korea Times will continue to be the respected messenger of Korea, Koreans and all things Korean.
창간 60주년 KT 한국 성공 신화의 일부분으로서 자부심 가져
코리아 타임스는 오늘 창간 60주년을 맞는다.
코리아 타임스는 6.25전쟁 발발 4개월 후 창간호를 발행했다. 동아시아에서 한 사람의 환갑은 하나의 커다란 획을 성취했다는 것을 상징하고 또 다른 생의 획을 시작한다는 특별한 의미를 가진다. 60주년을 맞이하여 우리는 한국과 영어 저널리즘을 위한 또 다른 60년을 마음속에 그린다.
혼란 속에서도 자원이 부족한 한국은 세계 14위 경제 대국으로 변모했고 케냐의 일인당 국민소득과 같은 전쟁으로 얼룩진 나라에서 탈피했다. 한국은 전쟁의 잿더미에서 인상적인 경제성장과 민주주의를 동시에 이룩한 세계에서 몇 안 되는 나라이며 원조를 받는 나라에서 원조를 제공하게 된 세계에서 유일한 국가이다.
유엔 동맹국의 참전이 없었다면 한국은 민주주의, 자본주의와 자유로 부터의 열매를 얻을 수 없었다. 한국은 이제 주요 강대국들의 핵심 동맹국이다. 한국이 북한에 우위를 점하는 것은 시장경제 민주주의가 사회주의나 공산주의 보도 낫다는 것을 보여준다.