PressEthic

The so-called "conservative" Wall Street Journal wrote a surprising piece about "Yoduk Story," a South Korean musical about a North Korean prison camp. This is probably my own bias speaking, but I was surprised and refreshed to see something other than raw politics and economics in the Wall Street Journal.

I was even more surprised when I could not find any other coverage on it besides the Korea Times. What motivated the WSJ to report on such a topic?

It is obvious that the play has a larger and widespread political effect:

The play's unflinching portrayal of Pyongyang's gulags -- including floggings and amputations -- is viewed as a crucial tool by activists in pressuring governments to take a more aggressive approach toward confronting North Korea over religious persecution and human-rights abuses.

I just never would have pegged the WSJ as a paper to promote activism, especially not through a form of art that breaks out in song periodically. This piece blew many of my own biases right out the window. The article talks about how the musical will be coming to the US. In my own opinion, I think this play will be a powerful tool in showing people the realities of the prison camps. This is something that is often left out of or underreported on in the news because of the security surrounding North Korea. Mr. Jung, the director of the musical said:

"I decided to let the world know about the prison camps" across North Korea, says Mr. Jung, a sprite man whose straight black hair is tinged with orange streaks. "We have a duty to save these people" who are still there.

I think the reason the WSJ reported on it is because it is an up-and-coming issue that is important to the Bush administration. It's in the forefront of American politics, regardless of party affiliation.

The drama behind the play's journey to Washington is as intriguing as the on-stage script. Many of the human-rights, Christian, and Korean-American organizations promoting "Yoduk Story" have also been active in shaping broader U.S. policy toward North Korea in recent years. A coalition of these groups lobbied the White House to enact in 2004 the North Korean Human Rights Act, which binds Washington to process more expeditiously North Korean asylum seekers into the U.S. The bill also established a special presidential envoy to monitor North Korean human rights, currently Jay Lefkowitz, an attorney and former top White House aide to President George W. Bush. Mr. Lefkowitz will be attending the opening-night performance of "Yoduk Story."

The very nature of the what the play's about and all the players involved have everything to do with US politics. This is where the seriousness that characterizes the WSJ comes in. Since these organizations are so involved in "shaping broader U.S. policy," they cannot be ignored, at least not by the WSJ. However, I still never would have associated the WSJ with human rights and activism. Will the other news outlets follow suit?