by WorldTribune Staff, March 31, 2026 Non-AI Real World News
Does South Korea still have a free press?
If so, why are media outlets in the country not reporting on massive protests being waged on a regular basis against the leftist government of President Lee Jae-Myung.
In October of 2025, Reuters reported that Lee had ordered a crackdown on anti-Chinese and anti-foreigner rallies in South Korea, claiming they are harming the country’s image and the economy.
Also in October 2025, during a huge anti-government protest rally at Dongdaegu Station Square in Dong-gu, Daegu, People Power Party Rep. Jang Dong-Hyeok said: “South Korea is facing the most dangerous moment. The freedom and prosperity built over 100 years are collapsing in just 100 days under the Lee Jae-Myung administration. The brilliant light is fading, and the darkness of people’s dictatorship is approaching.”
Targeting Lee and his Democratic Party, Jang said: “Now, South Korea has become a country for one person, President Lee Jae-Myung. The president is ruling above the people and the constitution.
“They are attacking, saying they will eliminate the opposition and the prosecution if they get in the way. Propaganda and manipulation are rampant, and political violence is becoming routine.”
Related: Former South Korean PM slams election fraud, calls for U.S. sanctions on his country, March 27, 2026
In February of this year, the U.S. outlet Politico reported on a huge rally in Gangnam before former South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol’s sentencing hearing.
“The crowd spans three blocks of a major street in Gangnam. They all shout ‘Yoon Again.’ ”
“We are fighting the same fight — the struggle to reclaim electoral sovereignty,” Park Joon-Young, the 25-year-old leader of Freedom University, a conservative organization for college students that has hosted several Yoon Again rallies, told Politico. “The United States and South Korea are in the same situation.”
The reports on protest rallies come mostly from media outside of South Korea. Critics say President Lee has a tight leash on South Korean media.
The South Korean government leans heavily on the media to not report protests. It’s hard to say that the country still has a free press. https://t.co/GU9f2a87vZ
— Gordon G. Chang (@GordonGChang) March 29, 2026
Street surveys in various places in South Korea, 2026/2/10-14.
Not Support (red) or support (blue) Lee Jae-myung.
Overall, 70% not support, 29.3% support. Vastly different than the 60%+ support claimed. https://t.co/6gdYfb5AFO
— Tara O (@DrTaraO) March 31, 2026
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Unreported: Widespread dissent against South Korea’s leftist government added by Editor Two on
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