Freedom on the Net 2017

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/freedom-net-2017

https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-net/2017/south-korea

Key Developments:

JUNE 2016–MAY 2017

• Hundreds of thousands of people attended mass candlelight rallies organized online and off, successfully pressuring the National Assembly to impeach President Park Geun-hye over corruption allegations (see Digital Activism).

• The Constitutional Court struck down onerous registration requirements for online news agencies introduced in 2015 (see Media, Diversity, and Content Manipulation).

• Military officials used apps and social media to identify gay soldiers, and prosecuted several under a law which bans army personnel from having same-sex relationships (see Surveillance, Privacy, and Anonymity).

• A 67-year-old labor activist was detained for several months before being released without charge; he ran an online library that included communist classics (see Prosecutions and Detentions for Online Activities).

• Women reported violent threats after they advocated for feminist causes on social media (see Intimidation and Violence).