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South Korea's Revised Network Act Takes Effect to Address Online False Information
An amendment to South Korea's Network Act went into effect Tuesday, imposing new obligations on large online publishers and platforms. The changes require certain publishers and platforms to address repeated false information and to report their actions.
Jul 7, 1:53 AM·1m read1 source
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South Korea's amendment to the Network Act took effect Tuesday. The revision sets new requirements for publishers and online platforms regarding the handling of false or fabricated information. Publishers with more than 100,000 subscribers or content averaging more than 100,000 monthly views may face fines of up to five times the actual damage from repeated distribution of false information.
Platforms with a daily average of more than one million users over the past three months must act on reports of such content, including removal, and disclose those efforts.
The Korea Media and Communications Commission has adopted the International Fact-Checking Network's code of principles as the standard for fact-checking. The commission will also operate a transparency center to support cooperation between private fact-checking groups and platforms.
The law defines false information as content in which all or part is false or altered in a way that misleads consumers into believing it is true. Industry sources said local portal operators have updated reporting functions to include false information.
Critics have raised concerns that the amendment could limit freedom of expression. One online community user wrote that the real issue may be unnecessary disputes from third-party complaints rather than actual punishment.
