{"id":2196223,"date":"2022-05-20T06:53:57","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T21:53:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nknews.org\/pro\/?p=2196223"},"modified":"2023-04-05T16:12:22","modified_gmt":"2023-04-05T07:12:22","slug":"the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/","title":{"rendered":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anonymity in journalism is usually reserved for those who face severe repercussions for revealing their identity. A whistleblower at a large conglomerate, an insider at the presidential office, an intelligence agent, a North Korean defector. These are some people who might ask not to be identified or who are given an alias when talking to reporters.<\/span><\/p>\n

In South Korea, however, even people talking on the record about topics perceived to be harmless are granted anonymous treatment. Even a K-pop fan.<\/span><\/p>\n

A common reason given for not being named in an article or news report is that the subject is “sensitive.\u201d Meeting this criterion is an incredibly low bar. \u201cSensitive\u201d topics in South Korea can include, for example, talking about one\u2019s military service (even though half of the population gets conscripted), sharing opinions about a minor government policy, and even requesting additional information about a new consumer product, even if already promoted in a press release.<\/span><\/p>\n

The result is a media landscape dominated by unnamed sources, blurred-out faces, and distorted audio on broadcast media. Local viewers may be amused by the squeaky voices given to a market vendor talking about something as mundane as a cat stealing fish. But international audiences, particularly trained journalists, are often perplexed by the anonymity that seems to be guaranteed to everyone, questioning the accuracy, if not the veracity, of South Korean media reports.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

A burning newspaper | Image: Danya Gutan via Pexels<\/p><\/div>\n

THE ELUSIVE ON-RECORD SOURCE<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to Person A,\u201d \u201caccording to a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity,\u201d and \u201caccording to an official with knowledge of the issue\u201d are all sentences that make frequent appearances in South Korean media. Probably the most quoted of all nameless people is the elusive <\/span>gwangyeja<\/span><\/i>, or \u201cperson related to the matter.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When a journalist contacts a company or government agency for information, they will often get an answer that is attributed to the <\/span>gwangyeja<\/span><\/i>. Seeking a name to lend credibility to that article or report is almost always a lost cause and can even strain the relationship between the journalist and defensive representative who is keen to prevent any name from appearing, no matter how glowing the article may actually make the company look.<\/span><\/p>\n

It can sometimes be just as difficult to solicit a \u201cvox pop,\u201d or casual comment from a member of the public. Often, asking a stranger for their name, age, profession, location, or worse yet, their picture, will result in the subject feeling uncomfortable and unwilling to assist. Monetary compensation not infrequently expected for even a small quote is another hassle to navigate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Journalists in local media might be able to get away with anonymous sources or “contribution fees” without much scrutiny, but large, reputable media brands based outside of South Korea need to follow journalistic practices closer to international standards. This means not paying for interviewees and having full names on the record so they can prove, if necessary, that the words they publish were actually spoken.<\/span><\/p>\n

Editors outside of South Korea may not understand the struggle and will expect their standards to be applied locally, putting the journalist in an awkward position.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Violins hang in a music shop in Jongno, central Seoul, March 2017 | Image: Jeon Han via Republic of Korea Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

WHY SO SENSITIVE?<\/b><\/p>\n

Journalists in South Korea have difficulty attributing facts to a named source for several reasons, chief among them being saving face, or rather, the fear of losing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keeping up one\u2019s <\/span>chaemyeon<\/span><\/i> is considered a behavior of sensitivity when dealing with people, especially when it comes to one’s own actions in a collective society like South Korea. Even the smallest risk of upsetting others, bringing shame, or being perceived as an outlier is enough to prevent one person from speaking out of their own accord.<\/span><\/p>\n

This might explain why organizations often refuse for their names to be quoted, for fear of being seen as selfish and taking credit for collective efforts, or fear of assuming responsibility should their quote backfire and they be held accountable. It\u2019s also why a BTS fan might not want to talk on the record for fear of upsetting other fans of the group.<\/span><\/p>\n

Chaemyeon<\/span><\/i> concepts may also explain why, the moment someone\u2019s name or face is put on the line with something others might disagree with, a deluge of online hate and trolling will almost always follow.<\/span><\/p>\n

In such a hyperconnected society like South Korea, the toxicity of online witch-hunts and cyberbullying cannot be underestimated. Indeed, there are <\/span>deadly consequences<\/span><\/a>. And so, people want to avoid becoming targets altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defamation laws are also very strict. Damaging another\u2019s reputation is bad, but even <\/span>telling the truth<\/span><\/a> can be considered a crime in South Korea. For example, a sexual assault survivor can be sued by their alleged attacker for defamation if details are made public or the case is dropped. Meanwhile, arrested suspects cannot be named in the media or have their faces shown, no matter how certain the crime is, since this would be seen to violate their human rights. (The only exception to this rule is when the police decide the case is in the public’s interest, disclose the suspect\u2019s identity, and parade them before the flashing cameras of the media.)<\/span><\/p>\n

All this together contributes to an environment where naming or being named can have far-reaching consequences, anonymity is the norm whether it is warranted or not.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Seoul’s main palace Gyeungbokgung with the cityscape behind, April 2022 | Image: Jeon Han via Republic of Korea Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

THE RIGHT TO REMAIN CURIOUS<\/b><\/p>\n

The “sensitivity” of sources in South Korea makes it difficult to report on the ground while also trying to convey a sense of credibility. Journalists working for international media often face this very real struggle, their local counterparts perhaps less so.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reading articles that cite \u201ca source\u201d might distort<\/span> or confuse how international audiences understand developments in South Korea. Some of these doubts are also justified, for the country<\/span>\u2019s media has a terrible reputation for <\/span>exaggerating stories<\/span><\/a>, quoting <\/span>anonymous online communities<\/span><\/a>, editing or deleting content as and when desired <\/span>without any correction or retraction notices<\/span><\/a>, not making clear whether an article <\/span>is sponsored<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>ignoring ethical guidelines<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

This distrust has even led to the popularisation of the term <\/span>giraegi<\/span><\/i>, a portmanteau of the Korean words for <\/span>gija<\/span><\/i> (journalist) and <\/span>seraegi<\/span><\/i> (trash). The <\/span>latest<\/span><\/a> Edelman Trust Barometer found that only 33% of South Koreans trust the country\u2019s media.<\/span><\/p>\n

There is no exact solution for navigating journalism produced in South Korea. The fear of being judged by others can sometimes seem more important than what one actually thinks, making it difficult to get quotes from sources and attribute facts to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This is not to suggest that there are no situations in which sensitivity is not justified. However, audiences have the right to remain curious and question the facts for themselves, especially when they come from enigmatic sources that are never named.<\/span><\/p>\n

Edited by Arius Derr<\/em><\/p>\n

Culture & Society<\/span><\/a><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anonymity in journalism is usually reserved for those who face severe repercussions for revealing their identity. A whistleblower at a large conglomerate, an insider at the presidential office, an intelligence agent, a North Korean defector. These are some people who might ask not to be identified or who are given an alias when talking to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3665,"featured_media":2196228,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[25],"yoast_head":"\nThe difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Anonymity in journalism is usually reserved for those who face severe repercussions for revealing their identity. A whistleblower at a large conglomerate, an insider at the presidential office, an intelligence agent, a North Korean defector. These are some people who might ask not to be identified or who are given an alias when talking to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"KOREA PRO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/05\/52027213522_6a9cee0ce9_k-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1121\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Bishawjit\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@southkoreapro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Raphael Rashid\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Bishawjit\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562\"},\"headline\":\"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\"},\"wordCount\":1192,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Culture & Society\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Analysis\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\",\"name\":\"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"description\":\"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"KOREA PRO\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png\",\"width\":360,\"height\":50,\"caption\":\"KOREA PRO\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO","og_description":"Anonymity in journalism is usually reserved for those who face severe repercussions for revealing their identity. A whistleblower at a large conglomerate, an insider at the presidential office, an intelligence agent, a North Korean defector. These are some people who might ask not to be identified or who are given an alias when talking to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/","og_site_name":"KOREA PRO","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","article_published_time":"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1121,"url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/05\/52027213522_6a9cee0ce9_k-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Bishawjit","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@southkoreapro","twitter_site":"@southkoreapro","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Raphael Rashid","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/"},"author":{"name":"Bishawjit","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/person\/313e6f940bf1ae7b8cc487ec00b1b562"},"headline":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019","datePublished":"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/"},"wordCount":1192,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"keywords":["Culture & Society"],"articleSection":["Analysis"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/","name":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019 - KOREA PRO","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website"},"datePublished":"2022-05-19T21:53:57+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-05T07:12:22+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/2022\/05\/the-difficulty-of-reporting-in-south-korea-where-everything-is-sensitive\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The difficulty of reporting in South Korea, where everything is \u2018sensitive\u2019"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","name":"KOREA PRO","description":"Be smart about South Korea. Up-to-date analysis on foreign relations, politics, society and economy. Made by the producers of NK PRO and NK News.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#organization","name":"KOREA PRO","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/6\/2022\/11\/logo.png","width":360,"height":50,"caption":"KOREA PRO"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nknewsorg\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/southkoreapro"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196223"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3665"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2196223"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2199435,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2196223\/revisions\/2199435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2196228"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2196223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2196223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/koreapro.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2196223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}