Growing Concerns Over Democratic Party's Expansion of Punitive Damages

Repeated Criticism Including Media Gagging
Even Inside, "A Potentially Dangerous Bill"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jin-young] The Democratic Party of Korea has decided to accelerate the preparation of a bill that includes the media and portal operators as subjects of punitive damages, but concerns are being raised not only from the media industry but also within the party.

A Democratic Party lawmaker with a legal background said in a phone interview on the 10th, "When similar legislation was controversial, the Constitutional Court also ruled in a way that maximally guarantees freedom of the press," adding, "Since it is difficult for a third party to judge, shouldn't the legislation be limited to intentional acts or gross negligence caused intentionally?" Another Democratic Party official also expressed concern in a phone interview, saying, "It could be perceived as effectively 'gagging the mouth.' It seems it could become a dangerous bill if not careful."

In academia, while there is sympathy for the background of the system's introduction, opinions are emerging that legislative promotion is premature. Professor Han Kyuseop of the Department of Communication at Seoul National University said in a phone interview, "Regulating through punitive damages can be criticized as 'gagging the media.' More discussion is still needed, isn't it?"

No Woong-rae, a Supreme Council member and head of the party's Media and Press Coexistence Task Force (TF), held a meeting the day before and announced, "We have decided to include existing media, YouTube, SNS, and one-person media as subjects of punitive damages." Regarding a series of critical voices, No said, "I have been a reporter for 21 years, and this is not an excessive infringement." This appears to be a move conscious of the party's support base. Among party members, demands toward the TF surged, emphasizing the importance of media reform and saying things like, "If you are going to gag one-person media, then apply the same standards to existing media."

Within the Democratic Party, similar TFs have sparked such 'over-legislation' controversies whenever they were formed. In the 20th National Assembly, there was a False Information Countermeasure TF, but it failed to produce clear results due to vague criticisms and controversies over suppressing freedom of expression. This bill is also expected to find it difficult to avoid criticism along the same lines.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.