STAY UP TO DATE: The Effects of the US Foreign Aid Freeze on Freedom House
Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2025

South Korea

Partly Free
65
100
A Obstacles to Access 21 25
B Limits on Content 23 35
C Violations of User Rights 21 40
Last Year's Score & Status
66 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
South Korea_hero_map

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom in South Korea declined slightly during the coverage period. Conditions were affected by President Yoon Suk-yeol’s December 2024 declaration of martial law, in which he cited a need to eliminate “anti-state” forces among the opposition. His decree appeared to violate the law and the constitution. Martial law was lifted the following day through a unanimous vote by 190 legislators, and Yoon was removed from office in April 2025 following successful impeachment proceedings and a final ruling by the Constitutional Court.

  • The Fair Trade Commission issued fines to South Korea’s top three mobile service providers in March 2025, after ruling that they had colluded to fix their subscriber counts over several years (A4).1
  • In February 2025, South Korea’s data protection authority blocked downloads of the application developed by Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek; the app became accessible again two months later, after DeepSeek implemented changes to its privacy practices (B2 and C6).2
  • Former President Yoon’s short-lived martial law declaration outlawed “fake news, public opinion manipulation, and false propaganda”—echoing his administration’s previous efforts to suppress criticism of the government through defamation suits, regulatory pressure, and criminal investigations—and placed all media outlets, including news sites, under military control (B5, B6, C1, and C2).3
  • News outlets and journalists continued to face defamation charges over their reporting throughout the coverage period (C3).4

header2 Political Overview

South Koreans benefit from regular rotations of power and robust political pluralism. Civil liberties are generally respected, though the country struggles to uphold the rights and ensure the social integration of minority groups. Legal bans on pro–North Korean activity affect legitimate political expression, and journalists can face pressure from the government over their coverage of or commentary on powerful political party members. Corruption is a persistent threat, with scandals implicating successive governments and company executives in recent years. Misogyny is also a chronic problem, and domestic violence, gender-based violence, and deepfake pornography are common despite laws meant to combat them.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 6.006 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 3.003 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 6.006 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 4.004 6.006

Score Change: The score declined from 5 to 4 because the Fair Trade Commission found that South Korea’s three top mobile service providers had colluded to avoid significant gains or losses in subscribers from 2015 to 2022.1

A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 2.002 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006
B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 2.002 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 2.002 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 3.003 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 2.002 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 2.002 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 3.003 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 6.006 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 3.003 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 2.002 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 3.003 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 2.002 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 3.003 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 3.003 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 2.002 3.003

On South Korea

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

See More

Country Facts

  • Population

    51,630,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    81 100 free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    65 100 partly free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Free

  • Networks Restricted

    No

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    No

  • Users Arrested

    Yes