Korea’s two main parties have drawn up conflicting bills to revise the law against the distribution of false information during election campaigns.
The main opposition Democratic United Party seeks to loosen the regulations and to expand freedom of speech. The ruling Saenuri Party ― which changed its name from Grand National Party on Thursday ― is considering a revision bill to reinforce punishment standards.
The DUP’s Supreme Council member Rep. Park Young-sun, together with fellow lawmakers, submitted last month a bill to revise the law on spreading false information during election periods that would require proof of malice. The clause is also to take act retroactively, applying to those who have already been convicted of the corresponding charge.
The so-called “Chung Bong-ju bill,” if legislated, would act in favor of the former Democratic Party lawmaker and host of popular anti-government podcast program.
Chung was jailed in December for spreading false information about President Lee Myung-bak’s alleged involvement in the BBK scandal during the 2007 presidential election.
His jail term disqualifies him from public elections for the next 10 years.
Liberal parties, civic groups and podcast fans protested the ruling, claiming that the prosecution and the court abused the legal clauses and suppressed freedom of speech.
Party chairperson Han Myeong-sook, in her meeting with ruling party counterpart Rep. Park Geun-hye, asked the Saenuri Party to help pass the bill. Park refrained from commenting on the issue.
Some nevertheless expressed concerns that the revision proposal was a populist move and that it needs to be adopted with further caution.
The Saenuri Party is considering a revision bill to strengthen the punishment for those who intentionally spread false rumors, especially those who are not directly involved in the elections.
The bill has been called the “Na Kyung-won bill,” referring to the GNP candidate for last year’s Seoul mayoral by-election.
Na, who seemed to have an upper hand in the early stages of the campaign, received a blow shortly before the polls opened as online rumormongers falsely accused her of having membership of a high-end skin care clinic.
“The subjects of the constitutional freedom of expression do not include false propaganda,” said Rep. Hwang Young-cheul, the party’s spokesperson.
Though the party, preoccupied with reform, has not yet taken actual moves on the issue, it is the general view within the party that slanderous rumors on SNS must be prevented before the campaign season.
The inter-party conflict over the issue is expected to escalate as elections last year indicated the increased importance of SNS in elections.
By Bae Hyun-jung (
tellme@heraldcorp.com)
