Minbyun and Civic Groups "Positive About the Purpose of the Media Arbitration Act Amendment... But Careful Review Needed"

Minbyun "Positive Evaluation of Intentions Such as Conveying Diverse Perspectives on Media Disputes and Strengthening Media Damage Relief"
Criticizes Democratic Party's Efforts for Swift Handling as Relatively Lacking in Gathering Public Opinion

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Gong Byung-sun] Civic groups including the Lawyers for a Democratic Society (Minbyeon) have positively evaluated the purpose of the amendment to the Act on the Mediation and Relief of Damage Caused by Defamation (Media Arbitration Act) but pointed out that the decision to amend should be made cautiously.

On the 23rd, Minbyeon stated in a press release, "We positively evaluate the amendment's purpose, which aims to diversify the composition of the Media Arbitration Committee to bring various perspectives to media disputes, strengthen the effectiveness of correction reports, and introduce a punitive damages system to enhance relief for media damages."

However, they criticized the Democratic Party of Korea's move to expedite the Media Arbitration Act. Minbyeon explained, "Due to the unprecedented legislative speed of the Democratic Party, public opinion gathering has been relatively insufficient," and added, "The Democratic Party's self-praise of the bill as a 'Fake News Relief Act' raises concerns that the bill's purpose, which mainly focuses on damage relief, may be misunderstood and diminished."

Furthermore, they added, "If the opposition parties and media organizations do not deny the basic purpose of this bill itself, rather than merely criticizing the Democratic Party's amendment, they should present concrete and responsible legislative alternatives, discussions, and decision schedules to enable social debate."

The Korean Association of Law Professors also sympathized with the purpose of the Media Arbitration Act amendment but emphasized the need for a cautious decision on whether to amend. In a statement, the association said, "The discussion on amending the Media Arbitration Act is positive in that it raises legal responsibility and reorganizes the role of the Media Arbitration Committee," but added, "However, the decision on whether to amend should be made cautiously."

They also criticized, "The main purpose of the Media Arbitration Act is to guarantee freedom and independence of the press, but this amendment introduces provisions that significantly strengthen the responsibilities of media companies, which directly contradicts the legislative purpose." Additionally, they explained, "There must be special circumstances to introduce punitive damages," and "It is reasonable to apply the principle of full compensation under current law, which compensates damages caused by false or fabricated reports in proportion to the harm inflicted."

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