I am an editorial writer at The Korea Times, focusing on foreign policy, North Korea and domestic politics. My key areas of interest include North Korea, foreign interference in elections, election integrity, cyberattacks and human rights. Prior to joining the Editorial Board, I served as both Politics Desk editor and Culture Desk editor. During my career, I have reported on the Presidential Office under the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Assembly.
Literary award organizer apologizes over copyright waiver
This combined photo shows, from left, authors Kim Keum-hee, Choi Eun-young and Lee Ki-ho. A group of past winners and those who were chosen for runner-up prizes for this year's Yi Sang Literary Awards protested against the transfer of intellectual property rights. / Korea Times file
By Kang Hyun-kyung
By Kang Hyun-kyung
Munhaksasang or “Literature & Thought,” a publishing house and the organizer of the nation's prestigious Yi Sang Literary Award, broke a weeks-long silence about writers' protesting over the three-year copyright waiver it had inserted into its contracts, vowing to lift “the toxic clause.”
In a statement uploaded on Facebook, Tuesday, the award organizers said they were sorry for the mishandling of the copyright issue.
“We would like to offer our sincere apology to the four authors ― Kim Keum-hee, Choi Eun-young, Lee Ki-ho and Yun I-hyeong― for causing trouble and hurting them,” the statement read. “We also would like to apologize for disappointing our readers who love literature and books. We're so sorry.”
The organizers vowed to fix the disclaimer in question which raised the ire of the writers. “We will remove all conditions runners-up had to take, in order to get the prize. From now on, the only thing those who were chosen for runner-up prizes will be asked is to answer if they are willing to take it (the prize),” the statement said.
“We also will fix the terms of conditions that grand prize winners need to agree on. The current rule stipulates that the winner must waive copyright of his or her chosen work for three years (and transfer it to Munhaksasang). This will be reduced to a one-year publishing right.”
The organizers' official reaction came days after a group of past winners and those who were chosen for runner-up prizes for this year's awards protested against the transfer of intellectual property rights. Some authors who were chosen for this year's awards boycotted the awards, demanding the organizer lift the waiver requirement.
The Writers Association of Korea (WAK) joined hands with the authors.
In a statement released Monday, the WAK expressed “deep regret” about the terms and conditions which demanded those who were chosen for the prizes sign on in order to receive the awards. It said copyright is something akin to a lifeline for authors, and thus the organizers' three-year waiver request was an insult to authors.
“The organizer puts publishing rights ahead of copyright, which is unacceptable, and using intellectual rights for the purpose of marketing cannot be forgiven, either,” it read.
The WAK claimed that Munhaksasang attached the toxic copyright waiver clause on the prize to undermine authors' rights. It urged the organizer to offer an apology and promise not to repeat the same mistake again.