AsiaOne

AsiaOne. South Korea began enforcing a July 7 law that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers accused of spreading false information. Korean journalist groups and civil liberties organisations warn the wording is vague and may not clearly define prohibited content or provide adequate media safeguards. Courts can award damages up to five times the proven losses to news organisations and large social media channels, including YouTube creators, distributing illegal, false or manipulated information. Repeated distribution after a court confirms content is false can trigger fines up to one billion won (about $846,174) from the country’s media regulator. Internet firms running platforms with more than one million daily users must remove content or suspend accounts when they receive reports. The measure, backed by President Lee Jae-myung’s Democratic Party, passed in December after boycotts by conservatives and comes amid political and online discourse tensions following Yoon Suk-yeol’s 2024 martial law.