Seoul: South Korea’s liberal-led legislature on Wednesday passed a bill allowing heavy punitive damages against traditional news and internet media for publishing “false or fabricated information,” brushing aside concerns that the legislation could lead to greater censorship.
Journalist groups and civil liberty advocates urged President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill pushed by his Democratic Party.
They say the wording is vague about what information would be banned and lacks sufficient protections for the press, potentially discouraging critical reporting on public officials, politicians and big businesses.
The Democrats, who have failed to pass similar legislation under past governments, say the law is needed to counter a growing threat of fake news and disinformation that they argue undermines democracy by fueling
divisions and hate speech.
South Korea’s murky information environment was on display during the months of turmoil
following the short-lived martial law declaration by jailed former President Yoon Suk Yeol, who promoted unsubstantiated YouTube theories about election fraud to defend his botched power grab and rally conservative supporters against the Democrats.
The bill would allow courts to award punitive damages of up to five times the proven losses against
news organisations and large YouTube channels that disseminate “illegal
information or false, fabricated information” to cause harm or seek profit.
The bill also would allow damages of up to 50 million won (USD 34,200) for losses that are difficult to quantify in court.
The country’s media regulator would be able to fine outlets up to 1 billion won (USD 684,000) for distributing information a court confirms to be false or manipulated more than twice.agencies