South Korea began enforcing a new law today to combat fake news, covering media and social media content creators as well. It allows claims for damages up to five times the actual harm caused.
The new law stipulates that news agencies, online media, social media influencers, and large YouTube channels that illegally publish false, distorted, or manipulated information to cause harm or seek profit may be ordered by courts to pay damages up to five times the proven loss.
Additionally, if individuals or organizations continue to disseminate the same false or distorted information more than twice after a court ruling, South Korea's media regulatory board may impose fines up to 1 billion won, approximately 26 million baht.
Meanwhile, online platforms averaging over one million daily users are obligated to act on content reported as false, such as deleting posts, suspending user accounts, or taking other measures as required by law.
This law was pushed by President Lee Jae-myung's government and the Democratic Party and passed parliament last December, despite conservative opposition boycotting the vote. The government argues that fake and distorted news threatens democracy by fueling division, hatred, and misunderstanding in society.
However, the Korea Journalists Association opposes the law, stating that although its intentions are understandable, allowing for enormous damage claims may lead many media outlets to self-censor to avoid legal risks.
The organization warned that if the law is used to discourage the public and media from criticizing the government, politicians, or authorities, it could undermine the foundations of democracy.
The Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club, representing foreign journalists in Seoul, also expressed concern that the law might affect media operations and the free flow of information.
The push for this law followed political turmoil in South Korea when former President Yoon Suk-yeol declared a temporary martial law in 2024 before being impeached and later sentenced to life imprisonment for rebellion, a verdict currently under appeal.
During this crisis, numerous unsubstantiated claims of election fraud were spread via YouTube and other online media, causing severe political division in South Korean society.
Although the Korea Communications Commission affirmed that the government would not decide what content is fake news but would have online platforms handle complaints, exempting news reports beneficial to the public from damage claims, many scholars fear that tech companies might over-correct to avoid liability, resulting in removal of legitimate content and honest criticism.
Currently, major South Korean tech firms like Naver and Kakao have begun improving their systems for reporting and managing false information, but it remains unclear how foreign platforms like Google's YouTube will comply with the new law.
. Source:channelnewsasia
Click to read more aboutInternational news