The People Power Party said of the amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection that takes effect on the 7th that "prior censorship of people online is structurally bound to occur," adding it "will fix the poison-pill provisions."
The amended Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection was passed in Dec. last year under the lead of the Democratic Party of Korea. The law defines "false or manipulated information" online and allows damages of up to five times the loss to be imposed on media outlets, YouTubers, and influencers that distribute it, and a penalty surcharge of up to 1 billion won if it is re-distributed. "False or manipulated information" means information whose whole or part is false, or information altered or manipulated to be mistaken as fact. The People Power Party is calling it the "gag-the-people law (a law that shuts mouths)."
Choi Su-jin, senior floor spokesperson of the People Power Party, said in a commentary that day, "Ahead of the law's implementation, so-called 'online survival manuals' are being shared online, and there are even signs of people restraining their own expression or moderating their tone."
She added, "The fact that people began self-censorship even before the law took effect is a representative snapshot of how this law chills people's free expression." She went on, "False information and malicious cyberbullying must be met with stern action, but freedom of expression and freedom to criticize those in power, guaranteed by the Constitution, must be protected."
Choi said, "To avoid the burden of hefty damages and a penalty surcharge, platforms will have no choice but to proactively delete or block posts whose illegality has not been clearly determined," adding, "In the end, corporations' risk avoidance will come before court judgments, and even legitimate criticism and debate will disappear together."
She also said, "We will thoroughly examine cases of infringements on freedom of expression and excessive deletions that occur after the law takes effect, and we will take the lead in legislation that protects people's basic rights by fixing poison-pill provisions such as vague false or manipulated information definitions and excessive platform liability."