A British activist for Korean liberty
This week saw a commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the death of Ernest Bethell, a name all but unknown in his homeland, but truly revered in Korea. He was a British journalist who came to cover the Russo-Japanese War in 1904 for the Daily Chronicle and stayed on to found Korea’s first independent newspapers – the Daehan Maeil Shinbo and its English-language sibling the Korea Daily News. The role of a foreigner was crucial at the time since although Japan had established a protectorate over Korea and so controlled the press for the most part, Britons such as Bethell were subject to British law thanks to the then-common extraterritorial provisions of treaties between Korea and foreign powers. The Japanese therefore couldn’t stop his newspapers and the criticism of Japanese rule that was printed in them. The close relationship at the time between Japan and Britain, however, eventually meant that a British consular court did take action against him, although to my predecessor’s eternal credit (the British Consul-General at the time, Henry Cockburn) he left Korea soon after the case and resigned from the Foreign Service.
A lot of historical background, but the freedom of the press is far from just a historical issue. The ceremony I took part in to honour his memory was graced by memorial wreathes sent by the Korean President and Prime Minister and UN Secretary-General Ban. Even if Bethell is not much known back in Britain, he is certainly respected here as a true Korean patriot and a leader in Korea’s struggle for independence and for freedom of expression.
Posted at 16:30 11 May 2009 by Martin Uden | Comments[1]
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