End threats to press freedom in S. Korea: Reporters Without Borders
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RSF’s World Press Freedom Index puts Korea at 62nd in 2024, down from 2023’s rank of 47th out of 180 countries.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
SEOUL - International media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called on the South Korean government to stop trying to control the media, as the Korean president now faces an impeachment vote over imposing a short-lived martial law rule.
“The attempt to control the media shows that press freedom is still at risk, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the South Korean authorities to put a definitive end to this worrying trend,” the watchdog told The Korea Herald, citing the martial law decree.
The decree said all media outlets and publications would be placed under control of the military command that enforced the six-hour martial rule from late Dec 3 to early Dec 4.
President Yoon Suk Yeol was forced to lift the martial law rule following the opposition-controlled National Assembly’s vote to block it just hours later, disputing Mr Yoon’s claim that government paralysis warranted the extreme measure.
“Had the recent martial law been extended, it would have given the South Korean president total control over the media for the first time since the country’s democratisation,” the watchdog RSF added.
RSF Asia-Pacific bureau director Cedric Alviani spoke of the administration’s tendency to silence critics.
“If the martial law had not been immediately lifted, it would have granted President Yoon Suk Yeol the power to censor the media and control the information they disseminate.
“This is particularly concerning given his demonstrated hostility toward critics since his election,” Mr Alviani said.
RSF’s World Press Freedom Index puts Korea at 62nd in 2024, down from 2023’s rank of 47th out of 180 countries. THE KOREA HERALD/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK