Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1635: Abolish Yanwen (First update, please subscribe)
Newspapers. There are many newspapers in Seoul.

Among these newspapers, in addition to official newspapers, there are also many private newspapers. These private newspapers have their own tendencies.

For example, the Daehan Ilbo, a newspaper founded during the Japanese occupation, has always taken a clear anti-Japanese stance throughout the colonial era.

Of course, his anti-Japanese sentiment was quiet, the kind that could only be understood intuitively. For example, during the occupation era, he opened a column to teach everyone Japanese.

How is this teaching done? By comparing Korean characters with Japanese, it seems that they are teaching Japanese, but in fact, they are spreading Korean characters and ensuring the inheritance of Korean characters.

However, precisely because of this cautiousness, the newspaper was able to survive even during the Japanese occupation and was not closed down by the Japanese Governor-General's Office like some other newspapers.

After South Korea's independence, the Daehan Ilbo, which stood on the national stance, immediately began to use newspapers to express its stance. It was one of the first newspapers to use Yanwen instead of Chinese.

"Our ultimate goal is to replace all Chinese characters."

As the editor-in-chief of the newspaper, Yoon Dong-joo had previously determined this development direction and achieved some success in the beginning. However, in the past decade or so, this development strategy has been subject to some restrictions and has even become unpopular.

"Oh, editor-in-chief, our newspaper sales are down again."

Zhao Dongqi, the director of the issuance department, held up the issuance report and said:

"Editor-in-Chief, our newspaper sales have dropped 8% year-on-year. This number is extremely alarming."

The current circulation of the newspaper is difficult to maintain the newspaper's operation. That is why he came to the editor-in-chief, hoping to persuade the editor-in-chief to accept reality.

"I know. What's going on, Director Zhao?"

Yin Dongzhu was asking the question even though he already knew the answer. However, Zhao Dongqi still explained:
"Because now everyone is learning Chinese characters, although Yanwen is easy to learn, but because the meaning is confusing and there is no future, so no one is willing to learn Yanwen. More than half of our newspapers are Yanwen, so now fewer and fewer people buy our Daehan Ilbo."

This is the fundamental reason why this newspaper is not popular at the moment. Because people make a more practical choice based on actual needs - learning Chinese characters, just like hundreds of years ago.

"Really? Koreans don't learn Yanwen but choose to learn Chinese characters. Do they really not want to be Koreans?"

When Yoon Dong-joo said this, he did not look at the name tag on his desk that read Editor-in-Chief Yoon Dong-joo.

This also uses Chinese characters.

Even the calligraphy and painting behind him were written in Chinese characters.

For any educated Korean, Chinese characters are the most solemn and must be seen in important occasions and important places.

But Yanwen...it is Korean writing after all.

"But Xue Yanwen has no way to go abroad, nor can he enter the joint venture factory."

This is the fundamental reason why Koreans learn Chinese characters - for a better life.

If you learn Chinese characters well, you will have the opportunity to go to Sea. Even if you cannot go abroad, you can also work in joint venture factories. In joint venture factories, employees who know Chinese characters will be given priority when it comes to promotion and salary increase. After all, they can communicate directly with factory managers.

It is for this reason that Chinese characters and Chinese are becoming the mainstream of this country. Whether they like it or not, it has already happened and is happening in an irreversible trend.

"Editor-in-chief, many companies have said that if we can't change, then they will have to place their advertisements in other newspapers."

Faced with such a reminder, although Yoon Dong-joo felt heavy in his heart, he had to face this reality.

"Is Yanwen really going to die?"

Yin Dongzhu said somewhat helplessly.

"Even when the Japanese occupied Korea, we did not abandon our own writing system. But what about now? Korea is independent now, but we have abandoned our own writing system."

Zhao Dongqi said after listening to the editor-in-chief's heavy words.

"In the final analysis, it all comes down to the fact that we are too poor. Because of our poverty, we have no choice but to abandon our own writing."

After Zhao Dongqi said this, Yin Dongzhu also fell silent. As if he thought of something, he took out a dictionary from the drawer.

This is the first Yanwen dictionary published after South Korea's independence. He stroked the dictionary with his hand and spoke while stroking it.

"Director Zhao, do you know? In order to compile this dictionary and pass on the Yanwen, people from all over Korea even sacrificed their lives. The writing system of a country is the lifeblood of a country. They believe that as long as the Yanwen system can be passed on, even if Japan occupies Korea now... one day in the future, Korea will still be independent, because they did not destroy our writing system and our spirit."

Looking at the dictionary in his hand, when he said these words, Yoon Dong-joo's tone was heavy, even sad.

He looked at the dictionary in front of him and said:

"After we gained independence, when President Lee Seung-man issued an order to promote the use of Hanwen and abolish Chinese characters, I thought that it was just as those people of high ideals had expected. South Korea would not only gain national independence, but also pass on its own culture.

But what about now? "

After a long sigh, Yin Dongzhu said:
"Now in this peaceful era, 21 years after Korea's independence, we Koreans have completely abandoned our own writing.

Just to make a living and to please those foreigners, we even abandon our own culture. "Looking up at Zhao Dongqi, Yin Dongzhu said.

"Director Zhao, what will our descendants say when they look back at today in 20 or 50 years?

Will they say, oh, their ancestors were so incompetent that they did not protect their own writing.

Just abandoned in the process. No one stood up to defend our writings. Will they say that our generation is too cowardly when the time comes? "

Faced with the editor-in-chief's words, Zhao Dongqi fell silent. He opened his mouth and spoke after a while.

"Editor-in-chief, this is not something we can control."

Yin Dongzhu nodded and said:

"We have no way to control all this, but we can make our voices heard and let our descendants know that when those unfilial people abandoned their own writing, someone stood up and spoke out loudly for the preservation of our writing."

"Editor-in-chief, you should know that the use of Chinese characters was the decision of the Blue House."

“Not all decisions made by the Blue House are correct.”

After thinking for a while, Yoon Dong-joo said.

"Tomorrow, tomorrow all our newspapers will use Yanwen, and I will publish an article on the front page."

On this day, Yoon Dong-ju made his choice, just like his father who risked his life to attend the Yanwen Dictionary compilation meeting.

He felt that he should leave something for this era, but he didn't know what consequences his decision would bring.
The next day, as usual, the newsboys were there waving newspapers, running and shouting "slow down".

"Read the newspaper, read the newspaper, read the front page of the Daehan Daily today - this is Korea, not Han!"

Today's Daehan Ilbo is bound to cause a sensation amid the cries of newsboys.

This is the first newspaper in Korean history to be published entirely by Yanwen. Before that, even the Daehan Ilbo was a mixed edition of Han and Yanwen.

But today, in order to make its position clear, Daehan Ilbo used the word Yanwen throughout.

The front-page article pointed the finger directly at the Blue House, accusing it of taking retrograde actions and promoting other countries' languages ​​at the expense of its own language in an independent country.

The words were so harsh that they even accused Frog Station of degenerating into a colony.

Although this was a tabloid with a daily circulation of only more than 1 copies, such accusations shocked the entire Seoul.

Of course, this also aroused the anger of the Blue House.

"Xiba!"

Raising the newspaper in his hand, Park Jung-woong excitedly looked at Kim Jong-pil in front of him. Kim Jong-pil was not only the Minister of the Central Intelligence Agency but also his nephew-in-law. In front of his own people, he always found it difficult to conceal his inner anger and shouted angrily.

"How can such a newspaper be published? What's wrong with you? What are you waiting for if you don't catch this Northern Puppet Bandit?"

Hearing the president's anger, Kim Jong-pil quickly spoke.

"Mr. President, don't worry. I will send someone to arrest him right now. I will definitely find out who is behind this."

"They will arrest them and shut down this newspaper completely. Yes, don't they know why we need to learn Chinese characters?
We have degenerated into a colony! If we don't develop our economy, we don't need to wait until we become a colony of other countries. The North will cross the 38th parallel and kill all of us. Who can save Korea at that time? "

Park Jung-woong paced back and forth in the office somewhat excitedly.

"All we did was to get Chang'an's help. Why should they help Chang'an?
If we don’t cater to their needs, they won’t give us a penny.”

Park Jung-woong said this in a tone full of grief and indignation.

"In order to develop the Korean economy, it's worth it even if I kneel down to others. But these guys, they don't understand at all, they are just messing around.

These guys must be spies sent by Beikui. I must interrogate them thoroughly and find out who is behind them. "

Park Jung-woong thought for a moment, then said:

"Now is the critical period for us to try to get His Excellency to visit South Korea first. If we can't properly resolve this matter, someone will use this news to accuse us of condoning the people's opposition to SEA, and we will definitely suffer a great loss. This time we must not only investigate thoroughly, but also completely clean up those guys... Didn't they say they wanted to promote Chinese characters? Okay, starting tomorrow, all newspapers are not allowed to appear in Yanwen."

Sometimes anger can prompt people to make decisions that they would not have the courage to make under normal circumstances.

Like now, in fact, in the past few years, Park Jin-woong has been hesitating about the issue of Chinese characters, and now he finally stops hesitating.

Abolish Yanwen!

(End of this chapter)