South Korea OKs bill targeting false information

Journalists and civil liberty groups demand a veto, citing concerns about censorship.

- By Kim Tong-HyunG

HWANG KWANG-MO Associated Press: THE NATIONAL Assembly passed the bill by a vote of 170 to 3, with many opposition lawmakers boycotting it.

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 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 news media, 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 undermine democracy by fueling divisions and hate speech.

South Korea’s murky information environment was on display during the months of turmoil after 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 supporters against the Democrats.