SEOUL: A new amendment to South Korea’s communications act went into effect on July 7, significantly increasing financial penalties for spreading false information online, in a move that lawmakers called necessary to combat fake news, but which raised concerns about free speech in a country with one of Asia’s most open media landscapes.
Under the amended Information and Communications Network Act, any content publisher with over 100,000 subscribers or a monthly average of 100,000 views who intentionally spreads false or fabricated information can face punitive damages of up to five times the financial loss suffered by a victim.
Additionally, a publisher who distributes information that has already been determined false or fabricated by a court more than twice can face a penalty of up to 1bil won (around US$660,000/RM2.69mil).
The amendment, which the National Assembly passed last year, comes after years of growing concern that fake news has become a systemic threat to public trust. But critics, including journalists and opposition party members, have expressed concern that it could threaten a fundamental tenet of South Korea’s hard-won democracy.
Kim Jong-cheol, chair of the Korea Media and Communications Commission, which regulates the industry, said in a statement on July 7 that the amendment would “protect citizens from the harms of illegal and fabricated false information.”
Online misinformation and disinformation are widespread in South Korea; a 2024 report by the nation’s Science Ministry found that around 40% of South Koreans had encountered fake news online. The report also found that 40% of South Koreans could not distinguish between verified and fabricated reports.
Still, critics of the law say its definition of fake news is vague and subject to political bias. They fear it could backfire and induce a chilling effect on the media. In an opposition party council meeting on July 6, lawmaker Jeong Jeom-sig called the amendment a “mouth-gagging act,” and said it would force online platforms to “walk on eggshells around political power” and pressure online users to “trap themselves in self-censorship.”
The Journalists Association of Korea, which represents over 10,000 journalists in the country and is the nation’s largest press association, warned in a statement on July 6 that the amendment could “undermine the very foundation of democracy” if it “diminishes the ability of the media and citizens to be openly critical.”
Following decades of authoritarian rule marked by heavy state censorship, South Korea successfully transitioned into a democracy in the late 1980s. This year, it ranked 47th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, which is issued every year by Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group. The United States ranked 64th. – ©2026 The New York Times Company
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
