South Korean President Lee Jae Myung criticized restrictions on public access to North Korea’s party-run newspaper on Friday, stating that controls on DPRK media reflect an outdated distrust of citizens’ ability to identify propaganda.

The remarks come as a group of ruling Democratic Party lawmakers have proposed legislation that would allow ROK citizens to visit North Korean websites, reopening a debate over access that surfaced during the previous Yoon Suk Yeol administration.

Speaking during a joint policy briefingby the foreign and unification ministries, Lee questioned why ordinary citizens remain barred from directly accessing DPRK state media while journalists and