Some Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives stated on social media that South Korea's revised Information and Communications Network Act could suppress online freedom of speech and disadvantage U.S. companies.

The Korea Communications Commission stated that since an official letter has not yet been received, it is reviewing plans to discuss whether to issue an official response through consultations with relevant ministries once the letter is received by its International Cooperation Division.

According to a letter published on social media on August 6 local time by U.S. House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, it was signed by Republican members of the Judiciary Committee including Scott Fitzgerald, Darrell Issa, and Michael Baumgartner.

The recipient is addressed as Kim Jong-chul, Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.

They wrote, "This would allow the KMCC to penalize U.S. companies and users exercising constitutionally protected rights," adding that "the bill neither defines disinformation nor contains specific details regarding its enforcement."

They further noted, "Because the scope of application is ambiguous, it could be utilized to censor opinions based on political gains or losses," and added, "It could bring a chilling effect to overall expression activities taking place in online spaces."

In response, the KCC explained, "An official letter has not yet been received, and we learned of the news through the social media posts published by the lawmaker and media reports," adding, "The revised Information and Communications Network Act was pursued not to discriminate against U.S. companies, but to respond to social harms and strengthen user protection in accordance with the changing digital environment."

The intent is not to target U.S. businesses, but to promote user protection by applying the rules equally to both domestic and foreign businesses.

The KCC stated, "Once the letter arrives, after checking its contents and cooperating with related ministries, we plan to actively explain the introduction intent and expected effects of the bill to the U.S. House Judiciary Committee."

The revised Information and Communications Network Act, which took effect previously on July 7, requires social media platforms, online communities, and video sharing and search services of a certain size or larger to establish reporting and processing procedures for illegal and fabricated false information as well as self-regulatory operation policies. The application targets include overseas businesses such as Google, Meta, X, and TikTok, as well as domestic businesses like Naver and Kakao.

Previously on July 9, the U.S. Department of State expressed its stance, saying, "We are gravely concerned about the undermining of freedom of speech," and "Excessive burdens should not be imposed on U.S. companies."

At the time, a U.S. State Department spokesperson stated, "The law should not be utilized as a means to censor freedom of speech," and "Continuous dialogue must be maintained with U.S. companies."

(Photo: Yonhap News)