South Korea Policies Affecting Disinformation

Legislation

In 2010, the constitutional court of South Korea ruled that existing legislation that make spreading false information over the internet for the purpose of harming the public good was unconstitutional. This was because the phrase "harming the public good" was considered to be too vague.

In 2018, the South Korean government vowed to utilize existing criminal laws to curb online disinformation. Opponents of this move cited it as a restriction of free speech.

Articles 307-312 of the Penal code criminalizes “crimes against reputation” or “false factual statements” which damage the reputation of others and these crimes can to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine. Even true statements which damage someone's reputation can be considered criminal.

Actions and Initiatives

In South Korea a daily briefing by the Korea Centre for Disease Control and Prevention as well as an online portal which organizes COVID-19 have both been implemented.

South Korea has been using the cyber unit of the national police to investigate false news related to the coronavirus and the government has asked telecommunications companies to remove or block false content.

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National Policies Affecting Disinformation