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| Ukrainian servicemen on patrol in a recently retaken village north of Kharkiv, east Ukraine. May 15, 2022. AP-Yonhap |
By Lee Hyo-jin
Some local journalists are calling on the government to guarantee freedom of the press in conflict zones such as Ukraine, pointing out that current laws banning journalists from traveling to war zones seriously undermine media freedom.
Under the Passport Act, Korean nationals are banned from traveling to any part of the world with a Level 4 travel warning issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Those who travel to such regions without approval can face up to a year in prison or a maximum fine of 10 million won, as well as having their passports confiscated.
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in mid-February, the Korean government issued a travel ban on the country.
And journalists were not exempt from this rule.
Kish Kim, a freelance photographer and war correspondent with more than a decade of experience, viewed that the rigid rule has been a major setback for local journalists from conducting accurate and reliable reporting about war-ravaged regions.
"As far as I know, Korea is the only country in the world where the press needs to get government permission to cover war zones. This absurd rule has barred journalists from engaging in real-time reporting," he told The Korea Times.
"While a soldier's duty is to fight in war, a war correspondent's duty is to do on-the-scene reporting about what's happening there. And this should be respected. But the Korean government hasn't been allowing us to carry on with our jobs," he said.
Kim added that while other foreign reporters he met in conflict zones such as the Gaza strip were offered assistance and protection by their embassies, the Korean embassy told him to "evacuate immediately," saying that he may face punishment in his home county.
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| A photo taken by Kish Kim in February of 2011 in Helmand, Afghanistan / Courtesy of Kish Kim |
Under current rules, in order to cover war zones, Korean journalists should receive prior approval from the foreign ministry, but Kim said the procedure is too complex and time-consuming.
"The whole process takes at least two weeks to a month. The government also requires reporters to submit detailed plans such as accommodation and contracts with security agencies there, which are difficult to arrange beforehand."
This may be the reason why Jang Jin-young, a 42-year-old freelancer photo journalist, the first-ever Korean reporter who entered Ukraine to cover the ongoing crisis, chose to travel to the war-ridden country without an approval on March 5.
After returning to Korea in late March, Jang was subject to a police investigation after being accused of violating the Passport Act.
During a recent interview with local media outlet KBS, Jang said he felt the need to travel to Ukraine in order to see and report the war situation through his eyes, as local media coverage of the war was mostly based on second-hand observations.
"The current rule which requires approval from the ministry should be immediately revised. The authorities should think of ways to minimize risks in war zones, rather than just banning the entry of journalists," he said.
On April 15, a group of Korean correspondents in Europe issued a statement demanding the government to better guarantee press freedom in Ukraine.
"The foreign ministry has limited media coverage only to the farthest southwestern region of Chernivtsi. It has also restricted the number of journalists who can enter the area to four. In addition, they are banned from staying in the region for more than three days," the correspondents said in the statement.
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