Posts tagged ‘media’
The recently released Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index 2011-12 shows South Korea is ranked 44th in press freedom, falling below Botswana, South Africa and Ghana.
It was expected that Korea would fall in the rankings. In March 2011, the Reporters Without Borders country file on Korea was was less than positive:
Corruption in Korea is once again making an appearance in media reporting with the ongoing investigation into allegations of abuse of authority by former National Tax Commissioner, Han Sang-Yool. Han is suspected of involvement in a series of incidents prior to his resignation from the National Tax Service (NTS) on 16 January 2009 and also suspected of receiving USD400,000 from 10 companies during a two-year stay in the United States after resignation from the NTS. Read more
On the weekend of 12-13 March 2011, a number of foreign correspondents based in Seoul were dispatched to Japan to report on earthquake and tsunami recovery efforts. This comes amid a growing debate on the numbers and status of foreign correspondents based in Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo, as foreign media organizations seek to consolidate their numbers in Asia. Read more
The Bank of Korea’s interest rate decision on 10 March 2011 has attracted the attention of the world media. Korean interest rate decisions are traditionally limited to minor factual, one column articles on the fourth or fifth page of international English language newspapers. Read more
The Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed three new cases of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in Yangpyeong County, Incheon and Cheongsong, as officials begin vaccinations in an attempt to control the outbreak.
More than 144,342 quarantine personnel are stationed at 1,200 checkpoints across the country to assist in the decontamination, culling and vaccination processes. The ministry estimates losses to date related to the disease at USD347.5 million dollars. However, inevitably the cost to producers will increase.
The domestic media has started reporting on the health implications of consuming beef from FMD vaccinated cattle. While beef from vaccinated cattle can be consumed under World Organization for Animal Health guidelines, domestic public sentiment is strongly opposed. Further media interest in animal health issues will add to consumer trends toward alternatives, and imports from countries perceived as clean and green.
