The JoongAng Ilbo recently published an editorial titled ‘Why don’t we realize we’re at war?’, written by senior columnist Moon Chang-keuk.
The headline is followed by the hook: “If we, as victims, vacillate, who will come to our aid? The response of the world depends on our next move.” Despite the fact that South Korea is currently in a state of national mourning for those who lost their lives in the sinking of the Cheonan naval corvette, Moon has no problem using the rhetoric of victimization to frame the conflict as a blatant act of aggression from North Korea.
The JoongAng Ilbo is one of the “big three” newspapers circulated in South Korea – and also one of the most politically conservative as well.







