''Haebang News'' (; alternately or ) was the first South Korean newsreel, which ran between 1945 and 1947. It consisted of 14 episodes (including several special episodes) that were around 9 minutes each. The series was produced by the Chosŏn Film Company, which also produced the '' Korean News'' newsreel.
, copies of four of these episodes are known to exist. All four were produced in the second half of 1946. They were discovered in 2005, in the collection of the in Japan. They have since been digitized by the
Korean Film Archive
The Korean Film Archive (KOFA; ), or the Korean Federation of Film Archives, is the sole film archive in South Korea with nationwide coverage. It was founded in Seoul in 1974 as a non-profit organization. In 1976 KOFA joined the International Fe ...
, and are freely available for viewing on the
Korean Movie Database
The Korean Movie Database (KMDb; ) is a South Korean online database of information related to Korean movies, animation, actors, television shows, production crew personnel and other film-related information.
Overview
KMDb was first published ...
. A 1947 Japanese film, ''Go to Liberated Korea'', contains some lost footage assumed to be from ''Haebang News'', and was discovered in 2007.
History
On August 16, when news first reached the general public of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule, members of the Chosŏn Film Company quickly broke into a storage building that contained cameras and went to record the jubilant celebrations outside. One of their reporters was also in Pyongyang on August 24, and filmed the arrival of the Soviets and the beginning of their occupation of the North. A few weeks later, the
United States Army Military Government in Korea
The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula from 9 September 1945 to 15 August 1948.
The country during this period was plagued with political a ...
(USAMGIK) began its occupation of the southern half of the peninsula. The company received permission on September 24 to began producing a news program. On October 21, they premiered two episodes of the program, alongside two special episodes. They fimed notable Korean politician
Kim Ku
Kim Ku (; August 29, 1876 – June 26, 1949), also known by his art name Paekpŏm, was a Korean independence activist and statesman. He was a leader of the Korean independence movement against the Empire of Japan, head of the Provisional Gove ...
's return to Korea in late November 1945.
Episodes could only be aired after passing the censors of the USAMGIK, and are thus considered by recent scholars to follow the official opinions of the military government.
''Go to Liberated Korea''
Content from several of ''Haebang News's'' early episodes, which are now considered lost, was recompiled into a 1947 documentary film called . The film was created by the People's FIlm Company and is currently held by the North Korea-aligned organization for
Koreans in Japan
() are ethnic Koreans who immigrated to Japan before 1945 and are citizens or permanent residents of Japan, or who are descendants of those immigrants. They are a group distinct from South Korean nationals who have immigrated to Japan since t ...
,
Chongryon
The General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, " ''
. The film was rediscovered by researchers in the 2000s, and released by the South Korean National Archives to the general public on August 9, 2007.
See also
* '' Korean Newsreel'': a North Korean newsreel produced beginning in 1948
* ''
Our Construction
''Our Construction'' () is a 1946 North Korean documentary. It is widely considered to be the first North Korean film, and predates the 1949 '' My Home Village'', which was the first feature film in the country. It is a silent and black-and-w ...
'': the first North Korean film, also a newsreel, produced in July 1946
*
Division of Korea
The division of Korea began at the end of World War II on 2 September 1945, with the establishment of a Soviet occupation zone and a US occupation zone. These zones developed into separate governments, named the Democratic People's Republic of ...
*
Cinema of South Korea
South Korean films have been heavily influenced by such events and forces as the Korea under Japanese rule, the Korean War, government censorship, the business sector, globalization, and the democratization of South Korea..
The golden age ...
*
Mass media in South Korea
The South Korean mass media consist of several different types of public communication of news: television, radio, cinema, newspapers, magazines, and Internet-based websites.
Modern Korean journalism began after the opening of Korea in the lat ...