New York Times’ partial move from Hong Kong to Seoul sparked by visa denial, sources say, as paper cites worries over national security law
- Veteran foreign correspondent’s bid for work visa rejected by Hong Kong authorities, sources say
- Beijing says it is up to the newspaper to decide how to deploy staff, new law will affect very few
The New York Times is moving a third of its staff based in Hong Kong to Seoul, and sources say the decision came after a senior foreign journalist’s visa application was rejected by the city’s authorities.
Put in place last month, the new law has sparked concern among foreign media in the city, especially as Article 54 states that Beijing’s new national security office in Hong Kong will “take necessary measures” to strengthen the management of international organisations, including non-governmental groups and news agencies.
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The Post learned the Times’ decision came after Hong Kong authorities turned down a work visa application by Chris Buckley, one of its veteran correspondents previously based in Beijing.
The identity of the staff member was later confirmed by the Times.
An Australian who spent 24 years reporting in China, he was among a number of journalists from three US newspapers who had to leave the country in May, after Beijing did not renew their press cards. Most recently, Buckley was in Wuhan for 76 days, reporting on the Covid-19 lockdown.
China and the United States have clashed over the presence of journalists in each other’s countries, and Beijing has said that journalists barred from working in mainland China cannot work in Hong Kong either.