South Korea has experienced a significant decline in its ranking on the annual global press freedom index, dropping to 62nd place from 47th place the previous year. In contrast, North Korea has been identified as one of the most severe suppressors of journalists.
These rankings were revealed by Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based NGO dedicated to press freedom. South Korea received a score of 64.87 out of 100, placing it among the problematic countries, along with Italy (69.8), the United States (66.59), and Japan (62.12). The organization evaluates the level of freedom enjoyed by media personnel in 180 countries and territories, categorizing them into five brackets: good (85-100), satisfactory (70-85), problematic (55-70), difficult (40-55), and very serious (0-40).
According to the report, while journalists in South Korea generally work under satisfactory conditions, they are sometimes subjected to online harassment, with limited protection against such practices. About 30 percent of the journalists surveyed by the Korea Press Foundation in 2023 reported experiencing harassment related to their profession.
The most common forms of harassment included phone calls, text messages, and emails, as well as comments from internet trolls and malicious legal actions. More than 40 percent of harassed journalists felt they did not receive adequate support from their employers, indicating a need for legal assistance.
In contrast, North Korea ranked 177th, following Eritrea, Syria, and Afghanistan. China and Russia, ranking 172nd and 162nd respectively, also scored poorly on the index.
The report highlights that in North Korea, journalists have been arrested, deported, sent to forced labor camps, and even killed for deviating from the government's narrative. In a particularly egregious incident, South Korean journalists were sentenced to death in absentia in 2017 for merely commenting on the country's economic and social situation.
Norway retained its position as the top-ranking country this year, with Denmark in second place, followed by Sweden, the Netherlands, Finland, Estonia, and Portugal.