Korean court fines photojournalist over unauthorized Ukraine trip

Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court / Newsis

A Korean court has fined a freelance photojournalist for traveling to Ukraine without government authorization after Russia invaded the country in 2022, triggering a multiyear military conflict.

Legal sources said Friday that the Goyang branch of the Uijeongbu District Court fined Jang Jin-young, 46, 5 million won ($3,530) Wednesday for violating the Passport Act. Jang entered Ukraine in March 2022 to cover the war and worked there for about two weeks before returning to Korea.

The court said that Jang failed to apply for the foreign ministry's exceptional passport use approval, ruling that the personal safety risks from traveling to a conflict zone outweighed his right to gather news.

Jang's legal team immediately pushed back, announcing plans to appeal the ruling.

His lawyer argued that the process for receiving special permission from the ministry is restricted to journalists of media organizations accredited by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and excludes freelance journalists and reporters from small independent outlets.

"The current travel ban system, where the foreign ministry determines whether a conflict zone is dangerous and then bans or permits entry, has many problems," Jang said. "Along with an appeal, I will also challenge the constitutionality of the law."

Media advocacy groups including the People's Coalition for Media Reform and Media Movement Center criticized the ruling, saying making access to conflict zones conditional on government approval restricts press freedom and undermines the public's right to know.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.