Rank plunged 31 places from Roh Moo-hyun era... Humiliation at 62nd in Press Freedom Index

Lawsuits and Online Harassment Against Media Outlets and Journalists
Pressure on Politicians, Government, and Corporate Officials

Freedom of the press in South Korea has dropped 15 places in just one year.

According to the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) '2024 World Press Freedom Index' report released on the 4th, South Korea's press freedom ranked 62nd, falling 15 places from 47th last year.

South Korea recorded its highest ranking of 31st in 2006 during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, but dropped to 69th in 2009 under the Lee Myung-bak administration and fell further to its lowest ever at 70th in 2016 during the Park Geun-hye administration. Under the Moon Jae-in administration, it maintained a level between 41st and 43rd from 2018 to 2022.

South Korea was classified in the "problematic" group along with countries such as Italy (46th), the United States (55th), and Japan (70th). RSF evaluates the press freedom environment of 180 countries worldwide and categorizes them as "good," "fair," "problematic," "bad," and "very bad." Last year, South Korea was included in the "fair" category.

The decline in South Korea's press freedom was attributed to threats of prosecution against media outlets, conflicts of interest with corporations, and insufficient protection for journalists. RSF pointed out that "some South Korean media outlets have faced threats of prosecution on charges such as defamation."

According to a 2018 report by the Korea Press Foundation, 27.6% of the 301 journalists surveyed had been sued, with 78.3% of the cases involving defamation charges.

RSF also criticized that "South Korean journalists sometimes become victims of online harassment," but "there is almost no protection against this."

Furthermore, it assessed that "South Korea is a liberal democracy that respects press freedom and pluralism, but its media outlets face pressure from politicians, government officials, and large corporations."

Nordic countries dominated the top ranks. Norway, which has held the top spot for eight consecutive years, ranked first overall. Denmark followed in second place, and Sweden came in third. Among Asian countries, East Timor ranked the highest at 20th.

North Korea rose three places from last year’s bottom position to 177th. Asian countries such as Myanmar (171st), China (172nd), and Vietnam (174th) had poor press environments. The lowest rank was held by Eritrea in the African region.