In the World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), South Korea ranked 47th, down four notches from last year.
According to the ‘2023 World Press Freedom Index’ released on the 3rd by RSF based in Paris, France on the 3rd, Korea’s press freedom has fallen from 43rd last year to 47th this year.
Regarding Korea’s ranking, RSF said, “South Korea, a leader in communication technology, is a liberal democracy that respects freedom of speech and pluralism.” ”, he evaluated.
He continued, “Although Korea’s freedom of information laws conform to international standards, defamation is still theoretically punishable by seven years in prison.” can,” he added.
In addition, he added, “Reporters who violate the National Security Law by distributing sensitive information, especially related to North Korea, can be sentenced to up to seven years in prison.”
In terms of socio-cultural aspects, “The Korean media is facing pressure from politicians, government officials, and large corporations,” citing data from the Press Arbitration Commission in 2020, explaining that lawsuits against reporters have steadily increased over the past decade.
In terms of economics, he also pointed out that “(Korean media companies’) revenues are largely dependent on advertisements that can affect editorial offices.”
RSF’s annual World Press Freedom Index evaluates the press freedom environment in 180 countries around the world and categorizes it as ‘good’, ‘good’, ‘problematic’, ‘bad’, or ‘very bad’.
Korea belongs to the double ‘good’ category. In this group, the US was ranked 45th, just two places above us. In the top 40, Argentina ranked 40th, Italy 41st, Croatia 42nd, and Tonga 44th, ranking higher than Korea.
North Korea ranked 180th, the lowest among the countries surveyed, just like last year. China ranked 179th, down four places from 175th last year.
The first place was Norway, which held the top spot for seven years in a row. Other Nordic countries, including Ireland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, made it into the top 10.
Ukraine jumped from 106th to 79th last year, and Russia fell from 155th last year to 164th this year.
In addition, Switzerland, New Zealand, and Canada made it to the top 10, Luxembourg, Germany, Costa Rica, France, South Africa, England, and Australia made the top 20, and Belgium, Jamaica, Taiwan, Spain, and Montenegro made their names in the top 30.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.