Is the foreign media leaving Korea?

By John Burton

There has been a discussion recently in the Korean press about what is perceived as an exodus of foreign journalists from Korea, blamed partly on the uncommunicative nature of the Park Geun-hye administration. Worries have been expressed that this could result in a less sympathetic treatment of Korea in the international media in the future.

As someone who has written about Korea on and off for more than 20 years, I find these comments to be based on a misunderstanding and lack historical context.

Evidence cited in the articles to prove that foreign journalists are fleeing Korea was the reposting of the Washington Post correspondent from Seoul to Tokyo and the move of the correspondent of the French newspaper Le Figaro from Seoul to Shanghai. In addition, the Los Angeles Times has replaced its full-time correspondent in Seoul with a freelance journalist.

The truth of the matter is that the number of foreign news bureaus in Seoul has fluctuated over the years. To a greater extent than is sometimes realized, whether a foreign journalist is based in Seoul depends on the personal whim of the journalist involved.

Take the example of the Washington Post. It traditionally covered Korea from Tokyo, with its correspondent making regular trips to Seoul. But several years ago, its Tokyo-based correspondent decided to move to Korea. The reason was not due to a “Rising Korea, Falling Japan” syndrome as claimed by Korean media reports, but rather the fact that the correspondent thought Korea was a more interesting story than Japan and wanted a change of pace.

His successor decided she wanted to be in Tokyo, despite earlier working in Seoul for another newspaper, because she thought Japan was more family-friendly. No grand geopolitical motivations were involved.

Other media outlets, such as CNBC and Radio French International, may be listed as having a presence in Seoul , but these are never permanent operations. Rather, a freelance journalist will show up in Seoul, get accreditation from them and work for several years before deciding to leave.

The fading profitability of some Western media outlets also determines whether there are foreign journalists in Seoul. Some publications have disappeared, such the Far Eastern Economic Review, or been reformatted into U.S.-focused publications such as Newsweek. Others are shadows of their former selves, such as Time, which has sharply reduced its Asian reporting staff. Faced with budget cuts, the LA Times decided to replace its full-time correspondent in Seoul with a freelance journalist.

At a time of financial austerity, many media outlets must husband their resources and most are deciding that China is a far more important story than Korea. This prompted Le Figaro to move its correspondent from Seoul to Shanghai.

What has been ignored in the recent Korean press comments is that some foreign media organizations have expanded their presence in Seoul. This includes the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones, Bloomberg, Reuters and Al Jazeera, while the Economist recently upgraded its Seoul presence to bureau status. This reflects the rising power of these organizations in the international media landscape.

In the end, it is money rather than the government’s attitude toward the international media that determines whether a foreign correspondent is based in Seoul or not.

Take Singapore as an example. I found that Singapore was probably the most difficult place to cover among my several overseas posts as a journalist. The government was often reluctant to release information and it was very difficult to get interviews with senior officials. Moreover, the Singapore government and the ruling family of Lee Kuan Yew had a record of suing particularly every major Western publication over the years.

Nonetheless, Singapore has emerged as a major regional hub for the international media. One reason is that it is seen as a convenient place to live and where English is widely spoken. In addition, the government has been able to attract foreign media organizations through hidden subsidies, such as tax breaks, if they establish a regional headquarters in the city-state.

Seoul can also be a difficult place for a foreign journalist to work, but this is not mainly due to the government’s attitude. Rather the biggest barrier is the “press club” system adopted from Japan that Korean media organizations use to restrict foreign media access to government ministries.

Nonetheless, both the government and corporations can also make things easier to operate in Seoul. Whatever its merits, the current libel trial targeting the Sankei Shimbun acts as one deterrent against attracting foreign journalists. Allowing increased access to top government and corporate officials would also go far in selling Korea’s story more effectively to international readers, who, after all, are large contributors to the Korea’s prosperity by buying its products.

John Burton, a former Korea correspondent for the Financial Times, is now a Seoul-based independent journalist and media consultant. He can be reached at john. burton@insightcomms.com.