The goal of this study is to explore and draw implicaitons from international and domestic media and information literacy (MIL) policies and educational systems. To this end, international policy documents issued by UNESCO, IFLA, OECD, and the EU as well as domestic South Korean laws and policies related to MIL and the fuctions of public libraries and related institutions were analyzed. The findings show that international organizations recognize public libraries as institutions that are responsible for providing information access and supporting knowledge sharing for citizens within and outside of formal education systems. Additionally, public libraries are seen as institutions responsible for supporting lifelong learning and civic education, as well as improving media, information, and digital literacy skills of their communities. In South Korea, the Library Act gives public libraries and librarians responsibility for improving citizens' MIL to support the public's right to know and to narrow the information gap. However, the functions of public libraries and librarians in South Korea have been limited or excluded in the domestic MIL policies. This study concludes that public libraries and librarians are responsible for reducing the information gap among citizens and should actively participate in policy development to improve citizens' MIL skills.