Up to 1 Billion Won Penalty for Malicious Comments: Public Outcry Over "Extreme Censorship"

[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 with the intent to cause harm to others or gain unfair profit while knowing it was false, punitive damages of up to five times the actual damage can 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 a single comment could lead to legal punishment, confusion during the initial implementation phase appears inevitable.

Reporter Kim Minjun has the story.

[Reporter]

This video, which shows national football team player Jens Castrop hitting former coach Hong Myung-bo, became a major topic of conversation, surpassing 10 million views in just one week. However, it was a fake created using AI.

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

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 have been infringed upon, with exceptions made for criticism, satire, and parody.

While private KakaoTalk conversations and group chat rooms are excluded, open chat rooms 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, online communities have been filled with anxiety, with users commenting, "Everyone should check their posts ten times before uploading," and calling it "an insane level of censorship."

Some are even sharing strategies, 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 judging (whether information is false or manipulated) are so ambiguous that platforms will likely feel compelled to take measures such as deletion when reports are filed. This will likely lead to a chilling effect on freedom of expression."

While the law is intended to clean up public discourse, 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 | Graphics: Im Chan-hyuk | Footage courtesy of YouTube 'Fact Research Institute')
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.