"Could My Comment Be Next?"... Up to 1 Billion Won Penalty Starting Tomorrow

[Anchor]

The revised Information and Communications Network Act, often referred to as the "Fake News Punishment Act," goes into effect tomorrow, July 7. Spearheaded by the government and the ruling party, the law includes provisions to prevent the distribution of false, manipulated information and to strengthen the protection of victims' rights. If it is proven that information was distributed online knowing it was fake, with the intent to cause harm to others or gain unfair profit, punitive damages of up to five times the actual damages may be imposed. This applies to all content and comments on commonly used social media platforms and portals, including YouTube, Instagram, and Naver. As anxiety grows over whether even a single comment could lead to punishment, some confusion during the initial implementation phase seems inevitable.

Reporter Kim Minjun has the story.

[Reporter]

This video, which appears to show national football team player Jens Castrop hitting former head coach Hong Myung-bo.

It garnered over 10 million views in just one week and became a major topic of discussion, but it was a fake created using AI.

With the revised Information and Communications Network Act taking effect tomorrow, the likelihood of facing sanctions for uploading such videos without disclosing that they are fake has increased.

Of course, not all information that is simply factually incorrect will be punished as false or manipulated information.

Authorities will comprehensively consider factors such as intent, purpose, and whether the rights of others were infringed upon, with exceptions made for criticism, satire, and parody.

While general KakaoTalk conversations and private group chats are excluded, open chats accessible to the general public are subject to the law.

Following news that fines of up to 1 billion won and punitive damages of up to five times the amount could be imposed, users in online communities expressed anxiety, with comments such as "Everyone should check their posts ten times before uploading" and "This is a crazy level of censorship."

Users are also sharing ways to respond, such as "strictly separating facts from opinions" and "clearly stating that a post is a personal opinion."

Experts also point out that the criteria for distinguishing between freedom of expression and false or manipulated information remain ambiguous.

[Interview] Lee Sung-yeop / Professor at Korea University Graduate School of Management of Technology: "The criteria for determining (whether information is false or manipulated) are so ambiguous that platforms will likely feel compelled to take measures like deletion when a report is filed. This is highly likely to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression."

While the stated intent is to clean up the public sphere, concerns are being raised that it could inadvertently stifle freedom of expression and the media's role in monitoring power.

(Video Editing: Choi Hye-young, Design: Lim Chan-hyuk, Footage courtesy of YouTube 'Fact Research Institute')

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