Reconsidering Freedom of the Press — Toward the Re-coupling of Freedom of the Press and Democracy —

Puntos clave

• The research aims to assess the current state of press freedom in South Korea and its systemic disconnection from democratic functions.
• Analyzed the structural crisis of press freedom and its disconnection from democracy.
• Identified the impact of political and corporate pressures on the press's normative functions.
• Proposed a shift from a passive to an active concept of freedom focused on the press's democratic role.
• Found that while formal press freedoms exist, their essential functions are increasingly constrained.
• Established that the decoupling of press freedom from democracy poses risks to both the legitimacy of press freedom and the democratic system.
• Argued for public support and institutional protection of the press to facilitate its reconnection with democratic values.