South Korea confirms that the bill on proven news hoaks is replaced by money loss, considered as silence of the press.
JAKARTA - The South Korean Parliament (South Korea) on Wednesday, December 24, passed a bill regarding compensation for the publication of hoax news or false information which is considered as a tool to silence criticism and press freedom.
A group of journalists and a coalition of civil society groups in South Korea are urging President Lee Jae Myung to veto the bill passed by the liberal majority parliament.
They said the points in the draft bill's formulation about what news or information would be prohibited were vague or unclear and created legal uncertainty. It was also considered to provide insufficient protection for the press.
The bill that has been passed into law is also considered a potential obstacle to the work of journalists who are critical of public officials, politicians, and large companies.
"We ask them to carefully define the scope of the law when drafting its implementing regulations," the South Korean National Media Workers Union said in a statement on Wednesday, December 24, quoted by AP.
In its implementation, the law allows courts in South Korea to impose compensation of up to five times the loss if news agencies, media platforms and major YouTube channels are proven to spread "illegal information or false and fabricated information" in order to seek profit or cause losses.
The maximum fine for compensation can reach 50 million won (USD34,200) for losses that are difficult to measure in court.
Meanwhile, for media platforms that have proven to spread hoax news and manipulated more than twice can be sentenced to a maximum fine of 1 billion won (USD684,000).
The ratification of the bill into law was carried out by the South Korean parliament 'National Assembly' after the voting process or voting with a result of 170-3 on Wednesday, December 24.
A number of members of parliament abstained during the voting, mainly after many members of parliament from the main conservative opposition party, the People's Power Party (PPP), boycotted the vote.
Voting was also delayed after the use of a 24-hour filibuster by the PPP, in which lawmakers from both parties debated the bill.
PPP lawmaker Choi Soo-jin during the filibuster said the bill failed to define the level of prohibited information inaccuracy.
He warned that the bill could be widely applied to content containing minor errors or general claims, and could potentially be used as a tool to silence criticism and press freedom due to legal threats.
The Democratic Party, with President Lee as a member, argues that punitive damages will only apply if there is clarity that false information has been deliberately disseminated for a harmful purpose or to seek profit and cause real harm, while routine accusations or claims will not be punished.
"The target of this law is not criticism (which is legitimate) but the spread of malicious and deliberate false information. (This bill) is based on the requirement of intent and also excludes satire and parody, clearly distinguishing (what should be respected as) freedom of expression," claimed Democratic Party spokesman Park Soo-hyun before the bill was passed.
The South Korean Democratic Party is known to have failed to pass a similar law when the party led the government before this period.
At that time, according to the Democratic Party, the law was needed to fight against the increasing threat of fake news and disinformation in South Korea and potentially undermine democracy, foment division and hate speech.