Cedric Alviani, head of the RSF’s East Asia Bureau, explains the map of the world's press freedom index in a press conference to announce the 2018 World Press Freedom index, at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu District, Seoul, on April 25. (Journalists Association of Korea)
By Park Gil-ja and Yoon Jihye
On the press freedom index recently announced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Korea came in as 43rd, up 20 spots from last year.
The RSF released its 2018 World Press Freedom Index jointly with the Journalists Association of Korea at the Korea Press Center in Jung-gu District, Seoul, on April 25, and announced that Korea ranked 43rd among 180 countries on the list.
Korea was higher in the rankings than its Northeast Asian neighbors like Japan and China, which were 67th and 176th, respectively, and even higher than the U.S., generally considered to be a representative democratic country. For the first time in 11 years, since the Roh Moo-hyun administration in 2007, Korea is now rated higher than the U.S. in terms of press freedom.
The RSF said, "The election of President Moon Jae-in has brought an end to 10 years of dark days in terms of press freedom. After 10 years of retreat, there has been notable improvement." The organization also added that, "Korean press has shown determination in the process of fighting against the Park Geun-hye administration from 2014 to 2016. The election of President Moon, a former civil rights lawyer, has marked a turning point in Korea in terms of press freedom."
The head of the association, Jeong Gyu-seong, said, "The fact that Korea is two spots higher than the U.S., which is a symbol of democracy, is encouraging. It seems the government's endeavors for smoother communication and the Korean press's determination to achieve freedom were highly appraised."
This year, Norway has topped the list again for the second time in a row, followed by Sweden and the Netherlands.
krun@korea.kr
