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| A statement is posted on the website of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), Friday, regarding Korea's planned amendment of the Press Arbitration Act. Captured from the IFJ website |
By Kwon Mee-yoo
A number of international media organizations have shown concerns over the Korean liberal ruling party's push to amend a law to impose punitive damages on media outlets and reporters for producing "fake news," which they say may curtail freedom of expression.
Despite mounting calls to scrap the plan, the revision is very likely to go through, as the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which holds a supermajority in the National Assembly, remains firm with its plans to pass the revision bill in the Assembly's Aug. 25 plenary session.
As a preliminary step before the plenary session review, DPK members of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee of the Assembly approved the bill, last Thursday. A day after the committee's endorsement, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) released a statement Friday, calling for the repeal of the bill, which "represses freedom of expression."
The IFJ criticized the bill for relying on a "fundamental misunderstanding of fake news" and that "subjective laws are a poor form of regulation."
The revised bill stipulates that media outlets cannot issue corrections for their own errors, but that they can be held liable for five times the financial damage suffered by the people impacted by false information.
"The legislation around determining intention is ambiguous and thus there comes with it a risk of overregulation which would ultimately infringe on the freedom of the press," the IFJ stated.
"Allowing media outlets and journalists to publish retractions is a critical part of having a free, honest and self-regulating press. By creating undue penalties for incorrect reporting, this bill threatens to create a climate of fear among Korean journalists."
The international organization encouraged Korean lawmakers to work with its affiliate, the Journalists Association of Korea (JAK), and other coalitions of media organizations to create laws that promote freedom of the press and freedom of information to benefit the people of Korea.
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| The website of the Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC), which released a statement Friday expressing concerns over the amendment of the Act on Press Arbitration / Screenshot from the SFCC's website |
The Seoul Foreign Correspondents' Club (SFCC) also showed support for Korean media organizations regarding the amendment to the act.
The Board of Directors of the SFCC released a statement Friday, expressing concerns over the planned revision, which it said could "seriously restrict the freedom of the press." Citing the Korean proverb, "knock on a bridge before crossing it even if it is made of stone," they called on the Assembly to "listen to the voices of various members of society with deliberation."
"While the SFCC understands the need for a system to relieve the damage caused by fake news, we are concerned that this bill could result in a penny-wise and pound-foolish situation of undermining the basic rights of a democratic society," the SFCC said in its statement.
The SFCC noted that some journalists based in South Korea also have concerns about the country's defamation laws, which "have few parallels among major developed countries," and can result in not only civil liability but also criminal punishment, even if the facts described are true.
The SFCC "supports the position of the Journalists Association of Korea and other local media organizations" that the nation needs a process to reach a consensus to around creating "a balanced alternative" to help people damaged by the media and also guarantee freedom and responsibility of the press.
It pointed out that the move could put at risk Korea's international reputation, when an increasing number of foreign media outlets have moved their East Asian media hubs to Seoul, having witnessed the peaceful change of power during the candlelight protests, leading to "the country's improved media environment and awareness."
"The move to revise the Press Arbitration Act puts at risk the international image and free press environment that South Korea has built up over a long period of time, as it has demonstrated the fact that those in power could affect the newsgathering environment, for both domestic and foreign media," the SFCC said.
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