Lights of high-rise apartments overlooking the Seoul Air Base runway, revealing security loopholes following the lifting of military protection zone restrictions. Graphic by Han-Mi-Ilbo

On September 30, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense announced the lifting and easing of military facility protection zone restrictions. A total of 4 million square meters of military protection zones across Seoul, Gyeonggi, and Incheon have been released, including key security strongholds such as Gimpo, Ganghwa, and Seongnam. Seoul Air Base is a strategic hub utilized by the President and U.S. military generals. Despite this, the Ministry of Defense assured the public that there are "no operational risks."

Old media outlets covered this issue with headlines focusing on "resident convenience," "tourism development," and "easing real estate regulations." They prioritized development potential over security implications. And then, three days passed.

In this regard, it was not the Korean press, but an American figure who pointed out the serious security risks. Gordon Chang, a lawyer and expert on China, issued a public warning on X (formerly Twitter), stating that "relaxing height restrictions around Seoul Air Base is a decision that directly exposes the U.S. President and the U.S. military." Reminding his audience that Ganghwa-do and Gimpo were past infiltration routes for North Korea, he wrote, "South Korea is dismantling its own shield."

This raises a question: Why does the Korean press show less security awareness than Gordon Chang? While Korean journalists remain comforted by government press releases and stick to the "regional development" frame, a private American expert is identifying South Korea’s security loopholes more sharply. This is a matter of national pride.

Even more serious is the fact that the Korean press is unable to set the agenda on security issues on its own. The 1995 infiltration at Imjin River’s Barak Rock and the 1998 Ganghwa submarine incident both occurred via the northwestern islands and the western metropolitan area. The areas now being released overlap with these locations. The Korean press should have been the first to raise the point that the Ministry of Defense’s current measure overlaps with historical precedents. However, mentions of "historical infiltration routes" are nowhere to be found in domestic reports.

The insensitivity of old media is structural. Settling for the equation that "Ministry of Defense announcement = truth," they have reached a state where they fear friction with the government should they point out security risks. Articles packaging the easing of protection zones as "real estate booms" and "resident benefits" are evidence of this.

To create a situation where Seoul Air Base, a core base of the ROK-U.S. alliance, can be overlooked from high-rise buildings, and then to market it as "improving the quality of life for residents"—this is a denial of journalism itself and an act of deceiving the public. If the media fails to be the first line of defense for security awareness, it will inevitably degenerate into mere "development promotional flyers" that offer nothing but excuses in the face of national crisis.

The issue of lifting military protection zones is not merely about easing administrative regulations. It is a decision that undermines the shield of the Republic of Korea and shakes the very trust of the ROK-U.S. alliance. Yet, old media treated it like "real estate news." A press that sides with the government over the people and development logic over national security—they should be ashamed.

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