Vote over ‘fake news’ bill likely delayed to September

South Korea’s National Assembly has effectively failed to cast a final vote on the “fake news” bill, as fierce opposition from those outside the ruling bloc is believed to prevent lawmakers from holding the vote within this month’s provisional parliamentary session.

Even after a series of meetings between floor leaders of the ruling Democratic Party of Korea and main opposition People Power Party held for hours until late Monday afternoon, lawmakers failed to reach a deal on how the bill should be revised and whether it should be put up for a final vote.

By 6 p.m., it was announced that lawmakers would reconvene at 7 p.m. to continue their negotiations, but a steep wall between the ruling party and opposition exists, showing no signs of hope that any deal will soon be reached.

The ruling party insisted on having the bill go to a vote as is, while opposition lawmakers asked to overhaul the legislative proposal, requesting Democratic Party lawmakers to walk away from trying to pass the bill within August.

The bill heavily pushed by the ruling bloc has faced severe criticism and opposition, drawing concerns and leading to opinions to be divided even within the ruling party, but the party leadership remained firm to have the bill face a vote, claiming the public is demanding protection from “fake news.”

Yet results of a poll from Data Research showed last week that 50.9 percent of respondents were against the ruling party’s move to unilaterally pass the bill meant to raise punishments for the dissemination of misinformation.

The proposed revision to the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, Etc. for Damages Caused by Press Reports was drafted, according to ruling party officials, as a means to protect the public from misinformation and malicious press reports. But it was criticized for potentially silencing criticism of the ruling party and the government ahead of upcoming elections.

Media industry officials and opposition lawmakers strongly protested the bill, issuing statements and expressing concerns on the bill, claiming the revision could undermine the freedom of press protected by the Constitution and damage the reputation of South Korea as the most press-friendly nation in Asia.

The ruling party seeks to run the vote on the bill before August ends, but it is becoming more likely that the vote will not happen by Tuesday’s end, but run on the first day of September on Wednesday due to a protest on the assembly floor from opposition lawmakers.

People Power Party officials had warned of a filibuster until Tuesday’s end if the bill is listed for a vote at the plenary session. The provisional parliamentary session ends at midnight Tuesday, pushing back the voting date for the bill to the first day of September.

Yet it is unsure whether the People Power Party and other opposition parties have enough power to prevent the bill from being ultimately passed, as the ruling party holds an absolute majority in the National Assembly, allowing it to unilaterally run votes and pass bills they favor.

The Democratic Party controls about 60 percent of the National Assembly’s 300 seats.

The People Power Party also announced plans to file a complaint with the Constitutional Court against the ruling party’s unilateral passage of the bill through committees. The bill passed two committees within the National Assembly solely on votes from ruling bloc lawmakers.

A number of media organizations also announced Monday they will form a coalition to file a constitutional complaint against the bill if it passes.

By Ko Jun-tae (ko.juntae@heraldcorp.com)