Freedom and Rights in South Korea

Freedom in the World

Freedom in the World, Freedom House’s flagship publication, is the standard-setting comparative assessment of global political rights and civil liberties. Published annually since 1972, the survey ratings and narrative reports on 195 countries and 14 related and disputed territories are used by policymakers, the media, international corporations, civic activists, and human rights defenders to monitor trends in democracy and track improvements and setbacks in freedom worldwide.

Year of Report: 2015     Scoring: 1 to 7 (1=most free, 7=least free)

Results: 2 - Free

Breakdown: Political Rights (2), Civil Liberties (2)

Democracy Index

The Democracy Index is produced by the Economist Intelligence Unit and is intended to provide a snapshot of democracy worldwide across 165 states. It is based on five categories: electoral process and pluralism; civil liberties; the functioning of government; political participation; and political culture. Countries are placed within one of four types of regimes: full democracies; flawed democracies; hybrid regimes; and authoritarian regimes.

Year of Report: 2014     Scoring: 0 to 10 (0=least democratic, 10=most democratic)

Results: 8.06 - Full democracy     Rank: 21/167

Breakdown: Electoral Process and Pluralism (9.17), Functioning of Government (7.86), Political Participation (7.22), Political Culture (7.5), Civil Liberties (8.53)

Index of Economic Freedom

For over a decade, The Wall Street Journal and The Heritage Foundation, Washington's preeminent think tank, have tracked the march of economic freedom around the world with the influential Index of Economic Freedom. Since 1995, the Index has brought Adam Smith's theories about liberty, prosperity and economic freedom to life by creating 10 benchmarks that gauge the economic success of 185 countries around the world, covering 10 freedoms from property rights to entrepreneurship.

Year of Report: 2015     Scoring: 1 to 100 (1=least free, 100=most free)

Results: 71.5 - Mostly Free     Rank: 29/179

Press Freedom Index

The Reporters Without Borders index, which is published each year, measures the state of media freedom throughout the world. It reflects the degree of freedom that journalists, news media and netizens enjoy in each country, and the efforts made by the authorities to respect and ensure respect for this freedom. It asks questions about every kind of violation directly affecting journalists, netizens and news media and the degree of impunity enjoyed by those responsible for these violations.

Year of Report: 2015     Scoring: 1 to 100 (1=most free, 100=least free)

Results: 26.55 - Noticeable problems     Rank: 59/179

ILGA LGBT rights

The ILGA Report on State-Sponsored Homophobia is a comprehensive outline of the legal status of same-sex sexual activity in countries across the world. In addition to core legal issues, it addresses issues around same-sex marriage and adoption, the prohibition of discrimination in employment and constitutionally and issues around hate crimes and incitement to hatred.

Year of Report: 2015     Scoring: -5 to 10 (-5=fewest rights, 10=most rights)

Results: 3 - Limited rights

Breakdown: Homosexuality legal (2), Equal age of Consent (1)

Corruption Perceptions Index

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) from Transparency International ranks countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be. It is a composite index – a combination of polls – drawing on corruption-related data collected by a variety of reputable institutions. The CPI reflects the views of observers from around the world, including experts living and working in the countries and territories evaluated.

Year of Report: 2014     Scoring: 1 to 100 (1=most corruption, 100=least corruption)

Results: 55 - Low corruption     Rank: 43/174