# South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controls

Published 2026-09-22. Last reviewed 2026-09-22. 2 sources.

Status: historical, as of 2026-09-22.

Under General Chun Doo-hwan's martial-law government, South Korean authorities ordered newsrooms in 1980 to purge journalists who had resisted press controls or joined a May sit-in strike for press freedom, and closed 172 periodicals, dismissing roughly 2,000 journalists in total.[1][2][3]

- Country: [South Korea](https://thewaronnews.com/countries/kr) (RSF 2026 rank: 47th of 180)
- Where: KR
- Level of government: National
- Tactics: Licensing and closure of outlets, Detention and violence
- Stage: Silence (ladder: https://thewaronnews.com/ladders/outlet_licensing#stage-silence)
- Head of government at the time: [Chun Doo-hwan](https://thewaronnews.com/leaders/chun-doo-hwan)
- Issue of the day: Chun Doo-hwan's military government had just suppressed a pro-democracy uprising centered in the city of Kwangju in May 1980, and used the purge to remove journalists it associated with resistance to press press controls during that period.
- Outcome: Reversed, June 1, 1987. South Korea's June 1987 democracy movement led to direct presidential elections and an easing of press controls; a 1986 leak of secret press guidelines had already embarrassed the government.
- Era: The 1980s

## What happened

General Chun Doo-hwan's martial-law government, which had seized effective control of South Korea after President Park Chung-hee's October 1979 assassination and a May 1980 military response to pro-democracy protests centered in Kwangju, ordered South Korean news organizations in the summer of 1980 to purge journalists who had resisted press controls or sought press freedom. Newsrooms were told to dismiss staff by August 10, 1980, including those who had taken part in a sit-in strike from May 19 to 28 demanding freedom of the press, with the government's ruling committee drawing up purge lists where newsrooms' own dismissals fell short of the military's standards. The Culture and Information Ministry also ordered the closure of 172 periodicals. An association formed by the dismissed journalists later counted about 2,000 people who lost their careers in the press during the purge, some of whom were also sent to reeducation camps.[1][2][3]

## What reason was given

The government said nothing was more important than maintaining national security against North Korea and preserving domestic order and peace, the standard it used to justify purging journalists who had sought press freedom.[2]

## What changed for reporting

An association of the journalists dismissed in the purge later counted about 2,000 who could no longer work in the South Korean press, while 172 periodicals were closed by government order.[3]

## Timeline

- 1980-07-31: South Korea's martial-law government purges journalists who resisted press controls

## Who acted

| Name | Role in this incident | Office at the time |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Chun Doo-hwan](https://thewaronnews.com/actors/chun-doo-hwan) | enforced | General and de facto head of South Korea's martial-law government |

## Outlets and journalists

| Name | Kind | Relation |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Hankook Ilbo](https://thewaronnews.com/outlets/hankook-ilbo) | outlet | affected |

## Sources

1. S. Korea Orders Purge of Dissident Journalists. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/07/31/s-korea-orders-purge-of-dissident-journalists/e0da51db-b285-4418-bd07-52f034a68daa/ (The Washington Post, 1980-07-31).
2. [Reporter's Notebook] Press freedoms taken for granted. https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10017072 (The Korea Herald, 2024-12-13).

## Claims cited

[1] The government ordered all South Korean newsmen and broadcasters who had resisted censorship or sought freedom of the press to be purged from their jobs by August 10, 1980. Quote: "ordered all South Korean newsmen and broadcasters who have resisted censorship or sought freedom of the press to be purged from their jobs by Aug. 10" Source: The Washington Post, 1980-07-31. S. Korea Orders Purge of Dissident Journalists. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/07/31/s-korea-orders-purge-of-dissident-journalists/e0da51db-b285-4418-bd07-52f034a68daa/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/189, checked 2026-09-22.

[2] The government said nothing was more important than maintaining national security against North Korea and preserving domestic order and peace. Quote: "nothing is more important than the Maintenance of national security against North Korea and the preservation of (domestic) order and peace" Source: The Washington Post, 1980-07-31. S. Korea Orders Purge of Dissident Journalists. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/07/31/s-korea-orders-purge-of-dissident-journalists/e0da51db-b285-4418-bd07-52f034a68daa/ Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/190, checked 2026-09-22.

[3] An association of the journalists dismissed in the 1980s purge later counted about 2,000 people who could no longer pursue careers in the South Korean press. Quote: "An association of the dismissed journalists in the 1980s counted the number of journalists who could no longer pursue their careers at 2,000." Source: The Korea Herald, 2024-12-13. [Reporter's Notebook] Press freedoms taken for granted. https://www.koreaherald.com/article/10017072 Claim: https://thewaronnews.com/claims/191, checked 2026-09-22.

Source page: https://thewaronnews.com/incidents/1980-south-korea-chun-doo-hwan-press-purge. The War On News, CC BY 4.0.