North Korea

North Korea ranks 179th out of 180 in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), scoring 12.64—classified as “very serious,” second-worst globally after Eritrea, reflecting total state control over information.

Independent journalism is strictly prohibited; all media is state-owned propaganda via the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). No foreign or domestic independent journalists operate freely inside the country.

Physical violence and killings tied to journalism are rare in public records: no journalists killed in North Korea in 2025 or 2026 per RSF (0 since January 2026), CPJ, and IFJ global tallies (none among 126–129 worldwide deaths in 2025).

Repression manifests through arbitrary arrests, forced labor camps, torture, executions for “anti-state” acts (e.g., accessing foreign media), and death sentences in absentia (e.g., South Korean journalists in 2017). Defectors report severe punishments for unauthorized information sharing. Total censorship, surveillance, and isolation force self-censorship or exile, making North Korea one of the world’s most repressive environments for press freedom.