1930년대 초반 조선일보사 내적 파동과 안정화 과정— 내부 구성원의 동향을 중심으로 —

Abstract

This study examines the internal turbulence and stabilization process of the Chosun-Ilbo in the early 1930s, focusing on the trends of its internal members, in order to identify one of the triggers of the ‘commercialization’ of the press in the colonial period. From the late 1920s to the early 1930s, the Chosun-Ilbo experienced continuous business difficulties, which led to conflicts between employees and management. However, in the aftermath of the crisis, when the publishing rights were transferred to Lim Kyung-rae in June 1932, the headquarters employees and local bureau chiefs united against Lim Kyung-rae under the ‘rationalism’. This united front was possible because there was a shared perception among the internal members that the head of a daily newspaper in colonial Korea should have a right personality and ability. Later, when the Dongwoohoe family took over the management of the Chosun-Ilbo through the efforts of Ahn Jae-hong and other former executives, the more rationalistic employees were able to remain within the organization. However, in March 1933, the issue came to a head again when the employee association, led by the Gansa-Hoe, submitted a “no-confidence motion” against the Dongwoohoe-affiliated executives and investors such as Bang Eung-mo and Ko Il-cheong. Again, the Gansa-Hoe argued that Bang Eung-mo and Ko Il-cheong were not appropriate to head the newspaper. But unlike in June 1932, the mood of the other employees and local bureau chiefs was in favor of Bang Eung-mo, who had a strong capital base and could stabilize the management. In June 1932, most of the members had formed a common front based on rationalism, but by March 1933, with the exception of the Gansa-Hoe, most of them had chosen utilitarianism. Eventually, when the rights to the Chosun-Ilbo were returned to Bang Eung-mo, most of the employees who opposed Bang Eung-mo with rationalism left the company. The stabilization process of the Chosun-Ilbo in 1933 was a triumph of ‘utilitarianism,’ and the subsequent changes in its composition were a prerequisite for ‘commercialization’ and the weakening of the paper in the future.