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Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged South Korean presidential candidates on Wednesday to commit firmly to protecting press freedom, as the country faces the results of the impeachment and removal of former President Yoon Suk Yeol in April 2025.
Against this backdrop, RSF issued a series of urgent recommendations to restore and safeguard press freedom in South Korea. These include ending discriminatory treatment of public media outlets like the public broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and reinstating regular presidential press briefings. RSF also urges South Korea to repeal or amend criminal defamation laws, which are often used to punish journalists even when they report the truth, if their reporting is perceived as harmful, depending on the context. The organization calls for stronger protections against harassment and online threats, greater transparency in media regulation to prevent politically motivated censorship, and increased public funding for independent media to reduce political influence.
Cédric Alviani, director of RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau, said, “We urge all candidates to commit to protecting the media, and to implement reforms capable of restoring South Korea’s position as a leader of press freedom in Asia”.
Tensions between the government and media began rising early in Yoon’s presidency, particularly after a high-profile incident in September 2022. That month, MBC aired footage showing President Yoon speaking candidly during a meeting with US President Joe Biden, with some comments caught on a hot mic that were alleged to be offensive towards President Biden. Yoon’s office responded by accusing MBC of harming national interests. In the weeks that followed, Yoon’s administration banned MBC journalists from boarding the presidential plane, erected a barrier in front of the press room, and suspended his near-daily briefings after being questioned about the restrictions. These actions drew widespread criticism from RSF and domestic press freedom advocates.
By late 2024, the political climate had deteriorated even further. In December, Yoon declared martial law, claiming the opposition-led National Assembly was obstructing government functions and showing sympathies toward North Korea. Lawmakers quickly voted to lift martial law, viewing the move as a severe overreach and a direct threat to South Korea’s democratic institutions. This culminated in Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office in April 2025, with lawmakers citing abuse of power and hostility toward the media as central grounds for his ousting.
South Korea’s defamation laws are seen as particularly problematic, as individuals can be found guilty even if the statements are factually accurate, depending on how they are perceived and the damage they may cause. This encourages political actors to weaponize defamation charges against journalists.
Press freedom has worsened dramatically in recent years. Under Yoon’s leadership, South Korea dropped 18 places in just three years to reach 61st in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index. This fall ended South Korea’s long-standing position as East Asia’s press freedom leader.
The post RSF calls on South Korea presidential candidates to commit to press freedom appeared first on JURIST - News.
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Against this backdrop, RSF issued a series of urgent recommendations to restore and safeguard press freedom in South Korea. These include ending discriminatory treatment of public media outlets like the public broadcaster Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) and reinstating regular presidential press briefings. RSF also urges South Korea to repeal or amend criminal defamation laws, which are often used to punish journalists even when they report the truth, if their reporting is perceived as harmful, depending on the context. The organization calls for stronger protections against harassment and online threats, greater transparency in media regulation to prevent politically motivated censorship, and increased public funding for independent media to reduce political influence.
Cédric Alviani, director of RSF Asia-Pacific Bureau, said, “We urge all candidates to commit to protecting the media, and to implement reforms capable of restoring South Korea’s position as a leader of press freedom in Asia”.
Tensions between the government and media began rising early in Yoon’s presidency, particularly after a high-profile incident in September 2022. That month, MBC aired footage showing President Yoon speaking candidly during a meeting with US President Joe Biden, with some comments caught on a hot mic that were alleged to be offensive towards President Biden. Yoon’s office responded by accusing MBC of harming national interests. In the weeks that followed, Yoon’s administration banned MBC journalists from boarding the presidential plane, erected a barrier in front of the press room, and suspended his near-daily briefings after being questioned about the restrictions. These actions drew widespread criticism from RSF and domestic press freedom advocates.
By late 2024, the political climate had deteriorated even further. In December, Yoon declared martial law, claiming the opposition-led National Assembly was obstructing government functions and showing sympathies toward North Korea. Lawmakers quickly voted to lift martial law, viewing the move as a severe overreach and a direct threat to South Korea’s democratic institutions. This culminated in Yoon’s impeachment and removal from office in April 2025, with lawmakers citing abuse of power and hostility toward the media as central grounds for his ousting.
South Korea’s defamation laws are seen as particularly problematic, as individuals can be found guilty even if the statements are factually accurate, depending on how they are perceived and the damage they may cause. This encourages political actors to weaponize defamation charges against journalists.
Press freedom has worsened dramatically in recent years. Under Yoon’s leadership, South Korea dropped 18 places in just three years to reach 61st in RSF’s 2025 World Press Freedom Index. This fall ended South Korea’s long-standing position as East Asia’s press freedom leader.
The post RSF calls on South Korea presidential candidates to commit to press freedom appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.