page_title: Tongnip Sinmun
section_title: Development and discontinuance
hierarchical_section_title: Tongnip Sinmun / Development and discontinuance
caption_attribution_description: English: Jwaong Yun Tchi-ho (1864-1945), Modern Korean philosophers, independence activists, politicians, educators 中文: 佐翁尹致昊（1864-1945），近代韩国的哲學者和獨立活动家，政治家，敎育家，社會運動家。
context_page_description: The Independent or Tongnip Sinmun was an early Korean newspaper. Tongnip Sinmun was the first privately managed modern daily newspaper in Korea. It was founded in July 1896 by a member of the enlightened Korean intelligentsia, Seo Jae-pil. It constituted two different language editions: Korean and English. Originally, it was published every other day and developed into a daily newspaper in Korean. The English edition, originally published every other day like the Korean edition, was later only published weekly.
  It has been estimated that the paper's average circulation per issue was between two and three thousand copies.
context_section_description: The Tongnip Sinmun went through four phases from its start to discontinuance. The first phase was the period from April 7 to July 2, 1896, which was the interval of time between the first publication of the newspaper and the establishment of the Tongnip Hyeophoe (독립협회 獨立協會, lit. "Independence Club"). During this period the primary focus of the newspaper concerned national enlightenment. Also during this period, the Tongnip Sinmun was very cooperative with the government and provided the reading public with explanations of government policies. Its articles were politically moderate in tone even as it began to exert its influence on national consciousness and thought. 
  The second phase was from July 4, 1896, to May 11, 1898. This was the period from the establishment of Tongnip Hyeophoe to the point that Seo transferred the Tongnip Sinmun to Yun Chi-ho (윤치호, 尹致昊). During this period, the paper supported Tongnip Hyeophoe-led projects, i.e., the construction of Independence Gate, Tongnip Park and the Tongnipgwan (Independence Hall), and focused its efforts more on grassroots enlightenment. There was also a change in the newspaper format in this period. The English edition was published separately and its content expanded twofold. 
  The newspaper established branch offices in Jemulpo and Shanghai and stationed correspondents there. In the midst of increasing conflicts between reformists and conservatives within the Korean cabinet, the Tongnip Hyephoe was gradually suppressed by pro-Russia conservatives. In August 1897, the Russian government dispatched a military instructor and a financial adviser to Korea for the purpose of intervention and exploitation. In response to these developments, the Tongnip Sinmun began to criticize the government by reporting on corrupt officials and unjustifiable Russian intervention. In December 1897, the Tongnip Sinmun was faced with discontinuance due to its criticisms of pro-Russia conservatives. Even foreign diplomats pressured Korea's King Gojong to implement censureship controls over the paper when in 1898 it published some secret documents revealing Russian and Japanese plans to exact concessions from the Korean government. Certain elements of the foreign community feared that an active press might interfere with "concession diplomacy" by mobilizing the Korean public against the granting of special privileges to foreign interests. Ultimately, the government decided to expel Seo from Korea and allow the continued publication of the paper under Yun Chi-ho. Though Gojong did prepare laws pertaining to censuring the press, none were actually promulgated.
  The paper's third phase extended from the time Yun ascended to the position of chief editor until the dismantling of the Tongnip Hyeophoe (i.e., May to December, 1898) During this period, the Tongnip Sinmun played the role of mouthpiece for the increasingly embattled Tongnip Hyeophoe while also serving to enlighten the people. From July 1898, it began daily publication in Korean (though not in English). 
  The publication's fourth phase was the period from the dissolution of Tongnip Hyeophoe to the discontinuance of the newspaper itself. After the breakup of the Tongnip Hyeophoe, Yun Chi-ho, the chief editor of the paper and president of Tongnip Hyeophoe, was appointed to an official government position and left Seoul. Thus, changes were inevitable. For the first several months, H.G. Appenzeller assumed the job of chief editor. He was soon followed in this position by H. Emberly in June, 1899. The newspaper tried to maintain its founding principles, however, it toned down its criticism and focused more on education and enlightenment at the grassroots level. 
  Despite its continued publication, such aforementioned changes, as well as increasing government oppression, naturally led to the paper's loss of dignity as a newspaper. The authorities attempted searching the newspaper offices and arrested journalists who wrote stories on corrupted officialdom. In a bid to purchase the Tongnip Sinmun, the government even demanded the return of the paper's o
caption: Yun Chiho
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