Prime Minister Han Sung-sook: "Maximum Guarantee for Freedom of Expression, Firm Response to False Manipulated Information"

Prime Minister Han Sung-sook said today (July 7) regarding the enforcement of the revised Information and Communications Network Act, "The government will guarantee the maximum freedom of expression for legitimate criticism and diverse opinions, but will respond firmly to clear false manipulated information and illegal activities."

Prime Minister Han made the remarks during her opening statement at a cabinet meeting held at the Government Complex Seoul this morning.

"In modern society, online platforms are spaces for communication and public forums," Prime Minister Han said, assessing that "they also function as important plazas for the development of democracy."

However, Prime Minister Han explained, "It is true that as the online sphere grows, side effects caused by illegal activities such as the spread of false and manipulated information are also increasing," adding, "This amendment aims to minimize such side effects."

She then ordered, "Relevant ministries, including the Korea Communications Commission, should ensure that this amendment is implemented without any setbacks," and requested, "Please explain the specific details of the amendment to the public in an easy-to-understand manner using examples."

Prime Minister Han also ordered that measures to prepare for heavy rain during the monsoon season be carried out without any loopholes.

"The government must act with heightened vigilance to minimize public damage caused by heavy rain," Prime Minister Han emphasized, adding, "The goal of disaster response is, first and foremost, the lives and safety of the people."

She further urged, "There should not be a single citizen who tragically loses their life," and requested, "Relevant ministries, including the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Korea Meteorological Administration, should cooperate closely with local governments to inspect and reinforce underground roadways, semi-basement housing, and landslide-prone areas to an excessive degree."

At today's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Han also noted, "Achievements and supplementary tasks related to eradicating the theft of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) technology will be reported." She emphasized, "This was also the first task I received from the President at a cabinet meeting after I became the Minister of SMEs and Startups. Technology theft is a very serious criminal act that gnaws at the innovation will of our SMEs."

She continued, "According to the investigation results, there were a total of 474 cases of theft in 2024, and the average damage per case reached 2.3 billion won," explaining, "(The government) plans to strengthen the imposition of fines and restrictions on public bidding for theft acts, and also prepare guidelines for calculating damages so that victimized companies can be properly compensated."

Noh Yong-seok, First Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups, explained in the subsequent report, "We will prepare strong sanctions against technology theft," adding, "We will push for institutional improvements, including imposing fines of up to 5 billion won and publicizing correction orders."

He added that they would also push for stronger sanctions through restrictive measures such as limiting government bidding and business participation for companies that repeatedly commit technology theft, as well as strengthening capabilities to prevent SME technology theft and reinforcing the authority of the Technology Dispute Mediation Committee.

In this regard, Minister of Government Legislation Cho Won-chul added his opinion, saying, "(5 billion won) could be very small depending on the case when viewed in light of the level of administrative sanctions being refined these days, so I wonder if the sanction effect might be small," and "I will review whether it is necessary to introduce a punitive damages system, looking at other similar cases."

Chairperson of the Korea Fair Trade Commission Joo Byung-ki also said, "We are actively pushing for legal and institutional improvements to support damage relief or increase deterrence against legal violations," and stated that they would strengthen cooperation with the National Assembly to promote a Korean-style discovery system and an increase in fixed fines.

Minister of Gender Equality and Family Won Min-kyung reported on the public sanitary pad pilot project that began the previous day, saying, "We will ensure that the installation of dispensers in 12 (pilot) regions is completed by September," and "We plan to build an information page by October to provide location information and more."

To this, Prime Minister Han requested, "I am aware that there are various opinions, such as disappointment that it closed quickly, so I will also go to the site to check it myself," and added, "It seems we need to make it well-known where they are so that those who need them can use them at the right time."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.