My name is Daniel. I was an English teacher in Seoul, South Korea, and am now a writer who has

published three books including South Korea: Our Story by Daniel Nardini.

                         Apparently angry at South Korea's conservative press for saying all kinds of

unflattering things about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the North Korean government has

threatened (as they always do) to break all dialogue between the Republic of Korea and North

Korea. Of course, in North Korea, there is no such thing as an independent press to put it even

mildly. It is simply a tool of the government. One of the foundations of any democracy is a free

and independent press. South Korea's conservative press is an absolutely necessity in keeping

that foundation. Whatever they say may or may not be entirely accurate, but silencing them 

would be the first step to a one-party state. An opposition press is important in that any and all

groups can and should have the right to speak out. Getting rid of them by using "libel laws" or

national security laws will start weakening the very foundation of democracy in South Korea. If

the conservative news media are either suppressed or not allowed to say what they will, then 

no one person will be safe from arbitrary government control. I know this personally. I used to

be a journalist, and the U.S. Constitution has provided me protection for what I write and have

been writing for the past 20 plus years. I have been through every American president

administration from Bill Clinton to George W. Bush to Barack Obama and finally to Donald

Trump. As much as Trump may be more distrustful of the American press, he has so far not been

able to silence it. I am hoping that the same will NOT happen in South Korea.