US public diplomacy official raises concerns over 'fake news' law in Seoul talks

Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Lim Sang-woo, right, shakes hands with Sarah Rogers, U.S. under secretary of state for public diplomacy, during their meeting at the foreign ministry building in central Seoul, Wednesday. Courtesy of Ministry of Foreign Affairs

U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers held talks with Korean Deputy Minister for Public Diplomacy Lim Sang-woo Wednesday in Seoul, after criticizing Korea’s controversial “fake news” law.

A day before the meeting, Rogers wrote on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that she would “discuss shipbuilding, the Network Act, K-POP diplomacy and more” in Korea, signaling that the law was on her agenda alongside broader alliance issues.

According to the ministry, the two sides exchanged “broad and in-depth views” on a wide range of issues, including bilateral cooperation, joint outreach in the Indo-Pacific region and preparations to mark the 250th anniversary of U.S. independence, as well as “digital-based communication” — wording that appears to tiptoe around explicit mention of the law.

“Both sides shared the view that public diplomacy is not only a means to deepen mutual understanding and trust between the peoples of the two nations, but also a key policy tool for advancing the main tasks of the Korea-U.S. alliance. In particular, they agreed to work towards more effectively raising domestic and international awareness of the value and importance of the alliance, through strategic messaging, digital-based communication and more people-to-people cultural exchanges,” the ministry said in a statement.

Rogers’ trip came on the heels of pointed criticism she delivered in December 2025 over the law, formally known as the amended Information and Communications Network Act, which will come into force in July.

On X, she said the law, “ostensibly focused on redressing defamatory deepfakes, reaches much further — and endangers tech cooperation.” While recognizing deepfakes as a major concern, she added that it is preferable to strengthen civil remedies for victims rather than give state regulators “the power to censor content.”

Under the law, large online platforms are required to adopt their own rules against “false or manipulated information” and take measures such as deleting posts or suspending user accounts, while courts will be able to impose punitive damages of up to five times the proven harm on media outlets and YouTubers found to have intentionally spread such content.

Korea’s ruling party lawmakers and officials defended the law as a necessary response to deepfake pornography, election disinformation and other online abuses, while media and civil society groups at home and abroad have warned of potential negative effects on journalism and political speech.

According to the ministry, both sides also agreed on the need to hold public diplomacy dialogue on a regular basis to review the state of cooperation, explore new initiatives and deepen joint efforts in a rapidly changing international environment.

They also marked the U.S.’ 250th year of independence by signing a memorandum of cooperation reaffirming their commitment to implementing the joint fact sheets adopted at recent Seoul-Washington summits and to cooperate on related commemorative events.

According to sources, Rogers also met with lawyers from major Korean law firms at Habib House, the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Seoul, the previous day.