Ruling party ignores protests against 'fake news' law
Rep. Do Jong-hwan of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), who chairs the National Assembly's Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee, presides over a plenary meeting of the committee at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday, in which lawmakers of the DPK and a minor liberal party lawmaker passed the ruling party's revision bill for the Act on Press Arbitration. Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP), who boycotted the meeting, protest the meeting holding placards to condemn the revision bill which they call a “gag” on the media. Yonhap
Assembly's culture committee endorses 'unconstitutional' media reform bill
By Jung Da-min
The supermajority ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) is railroading the process for revising a law to punish media outlets for producing what it calls “fake news,” with its members of the National Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee endorsing a revision to the Act on Press Arbitration at the committee's plenary meeting, Thursday.
Nine members of the 16-member committee are from the ruling bloc, so it was impossible for the opposition to block the endorsement.
While the committee's endorsement of the revision bill came despite strong protest from opposition parties and media and civil organizations, the ruling bloc is planning to finally pass the bill at an Aug. 25 Assembly plenary session. The ruling bloc takes up nearly 60 percent of the 300-seat Assembly.
According to political watchers, the DPK's unilateral move is designed to rally its strong support groups ahead of the presidential election, scheduled for March 2022, but the move may backfire in the end.
Discussions to regulate disinformation that undermines public interests had already been underway in political circles and members of the public, and the ruling party proposed its revision bill two months ago. But the bill has brought controversy as critics are claiming the ruling bloc could use the revised law to block media criticism of the government and ruling party members.
Criticism grew especially after lawmakers of the DPK and a liberal minor opposition party member on a subcommittee of the Assembly culture committee endorsed the bill in late July. The DPK made revisions to the bill, to exclude some parts which critics called “poisonous clauses.”
According to the DPK's revision, high-ranking government officials and executives of major companies cannot seek punitive damages against the media, in response to concerns that the initial version of the bill could hamper the media's role in criticizing political and economic power. The DPK also deleted specific criteria on the amount of punitive compensation.
But critics said the ruling party's latest revision still did not reflect concerns over ambiguity of the criteria for determining “intention,” when the bill states that those purportedly damaged by fake news “intentionally made by reporters or media outlets” can claim punitive compensation.
Lawmakers of the main opposition People Power Party (PPP) have been boycotting meetings of the culture committee related to the revision bill, denouncing it as being “unconstitutional” and aimed at controlling the media. The minor opposition progressive Justice Party has also been issuing statements to condemn the DPK's railroading of the bill, saying the ruling party is ignoring democratic procedures and the bill itself undermines the Constitution.
Main opposition conservative People Power Party (PPP) leader Lee Jun-seok, center, speaks while he protests with other party members against the ruling Democratic Party of Korea's railroading of its revision bill for the Act on Press Arbitration at the National Assembly in Seoul, Thursday. Members of the ruling bloc endorsed the ruling party's revision bill at a plenary meeting of the Assembly Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held on the day despite the PPP's boycott of the meeting to protest the bill. Yonhap
Some political watchers said the DPK is ignoring protests from opposition parties and organizations to solidify support from its most enthusiastic backers by meeting their expectations for its policy reform drives, which include media reforms.
“Members of the ruling bloc think they have been put in a difficult position due to what they call malicious reports by conservative media outlets on corruption scandals involving President Moon Jae-in's close aides, especially those of former Justice Minister Cho Kuk,” said Cha Jae-won, a professor of special affairs at the Catholic University of Pusan. “But the ruling party's railroading of the revision bill is having negative effects on its image. Although the DPK could strengthen internal unity among its supporters by pushing ahead with the bill, it will lose support from the general public, who would see the supermajority ruling party's move as arrogant.”
Myongji University professor Kim Hyung-joon said the DPK would not act like this if it were the main opposition party, as it had been during the previous conservative administrations under former presidents Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye.
Kim also said the DPK is undermining freedom of expression, which it had strongly promoted during the candlelit rallies which led to the impeachment of Park after her corruption scandals.
“Freedom of expression is a universal democratic value and a global network of newspapers and news editors have also expressed their opposition to such a bill on media,” Kim said.
On Aug. 12, the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA) sent a public statement to the Korean Association of Newspapers, to deliver a message of support for Korean media organizations in their fight against the ruling party's attempt to revise the law.
“When there are means to regulate fake news other than the Act on Press Arbitration, such as claiming for damages or filing a complaint with the Press Arbitration Commission, introducing such a strong punitive bill on the media would only harm the freedom of expression,” Kim said.