The Constitutional Court ruled Thursday the online real-name verification legislation is unconstitutional, paving the way for the controversial system to be repealed five years after its introduction.
With an aim to curb side effects from Internet-based expression rooted in anonymity, the government set up the real-name policy in 2007 that requires Web sites with more than 100,000 visitors per day to authenticate their users' identities through their resident registration number.
The court made the decision unanimously on a petition filed by a group of people and the online media company "Internet Media Today" in 2010, claiming the discriminatory law violates people's freedom of speech.
"The freedom of speech can be regulated only when (the Internet real-name system) is clearly beneficial to the public. Despite the enforcement (of the real-name system), however, there has not been a significant decrease in illegal postings online," the court said in a verdict.
"It cannot be said that various disadvantages caused by the (real-name law) are smaller than its public benefits, considering the fact that it hinders free speech, restrains foreigners who do not have a resident registration number here, and increases chances of leaks of personal and other sensitive information," it added.
Last year, the home affairs ministry said it would push to repeal the online real-name policy in phases in the wake of the country's worst online hacking incident that compromised the personal information of more than two-thirds of the population. (Yonhap)