World Press Freedom Rankings... South Korea 42nd, Japan 67th, North Korea 179th

Surveyed 180 Countries
Recovered After Falling to 70th Place in 2016

Partial Report of the 2021 World Press Freedom Index (Source=Reporters Without Borders Website)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] South Korea ranked 42nd out of 180 countries in the world press freedom rankings, securing the top position in Asia.

According to the 2021 World Press Freedom Index report released on the 20th by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), South Korea maintained its 42nd place ranking among the 180 countries surveyed, the same as last year.

South Korea rose to 31st place in 2006 but dropped nearly 40 places to 70th in 2016 over a decade. Since then, it climbed to 63rd in 2017, 43rd in 2018, 41st in 2019, and recorded 42nd place last year.

The country ranked first in press freedom worldwide was Norway, holding the top spot for five consecutive years. Finland ranked second, Sweden third, and Denmark fourth, with Nordic countries dominating the top ranks. Following were Costa Rica in 5th, the Netherlands 6th, Jamaica 7th, New Zealand 8th, Portugal 9th, and Switzerland 10th. Germany ranked 13th, the United Kingdom 33rd, France 34th, the United States 44th, and Japan 67th.

Looking at Asia alone, South Korea ranked first, followed by Taiwan in second place (43rd globally). China ranked 177th, Turkmenistan 178th, North Korea 179th, and Eritrea 180th, the lowest in the rankings.

RSF stated, "Turkmenistan and North Korea completely control news and information, reporting no COVID-19 cases within their countries, while Eritrea remains silent about 11 journalists imprisoned 20 years ago."

RSF also revealed that among the 180 countries surveyed, press freedom is "completely blocked or severely violated" in 73 countries, and "restricted" in 59 countries.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.