ABSTRACT
Just as South Korean society changed dramatically after democratic reforms in 1987, so has South Korean journalism. Before that date, the nation had been ruled by a series of authoritarian regimes. Journalists worked either as “enlightened intellectuals” for the society-at-large, or as “lapdogs” for the politically powerful ruling class. When the last non-democratic regime collapsed in 1987, various new journalistic ideals emerged, such as the “professional journalist” and “government watchdog,” and press freedom expedited Korea’s democratization (Yang 2007).
