PPP Protests 'Gag Law' Wearing Black Masks; DP Criticizes 'Black Propaganda'

[Anchor]

Today, July 6, one day before the enforcement of the revised Information and Communications Network Act, the leadership of the People Power Party (PPP) attended the Supreme Council meeting wearing black masks to urge a postponement of the law's implementation. The Democratic Party (DP) maintains that the PPP is maliciously distorting the purpose of the law and is obsessed with black propaganda that incites public anxiety.

Reporter Son Hyeong-an has the story.

[Reporter]

At the People Power Party Supreme Council meeting this morning, party leaders, including Representative Jang Dong-hyeok and Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik, entered the meeting room wearing black masks.

They explained that this was to highlight the injustice of the revised Information and Communications Network Act, which takes effect tomorrow, calling it the so-called "online gag law."

Representative Jang criticized the law, stating, "Once the law is enforced, the government can arbitrarily label anything as fake news and impose fines of up to 1 billion won," adding, "This is an attempt to gag not only traditional media but also YouTubers."

[Jang Dong-hyeok/Representative of the People Power Party: Ultimately, it will gag all citizens. Comments opposing Lee Jae-myung will completely disappear from the internet.]

Floor Leader Jeong Jeom-sik also raised his voice, saying, "The online gag law is an evil law that suppresses freedom of expression and inevitably destroys the public sphere, which is the foundation of democracy," and added, "We must postpone its enforcement and begin discussions on re-amending it to remove toxic clauses."

In response, the Democratic Party maintains that it is not a "gag law" that silences the public, but a "fake news prevention law" that stops the destruction of the public sphere and the character assassination of others.

The DP argues that it is time to purify the ecosystem of hatred that grows under the guise of freedom of expression through laws and institutions. They are countering that the People Power Party is obsessed with black propaganda that maliciously distorts the purpose of the law and fuels public anxiety.

(Video reporting: Lee Seung-hwan, Shin Dong-hwan | Video editing: Lee So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.