Cheong Wa Dae accused of stepping up attacks on adversarial TV networks
Concerns over freedom of press and accusations of the government oppressing media with opposing political inclinations are once again rising in Korea — a phenomenon that repeats itself with each new administration.
This time around, the controversy was renewed by President Lee Jae Myung and his aide's open disapproval of certain TV networks for their "poor-quality" political shows. The controversy comes amid deepening political polarization in South Korea over the past years that has contributed in part to deteriorating press freedoms.
As assessed by the nongovernmental Reporters Without Borders, South Korea's score in the World Press Freedom Index has seen a four-year consecutive decline — from 76.57 points on a 100-point scale in 2021 to 64.06 points in 2025, dropping 19 spots to No. 61.
Media taken to task
The president's open criticism of political television programs began at the end of last year, when he compared some talk shows on general programming cable channels to those of far-right YouTube channels.
"I sometimes get mistaken if I'm watching this (political) show on a licensed broadcaster or a (far-right) YouTube channel," Lee said at the year-end policy briefing of the Korea Media and Communications Commission.
Lee has
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