Kim Yong-min: "The Media Arbitration Act is a Citizen Relief Law... The Majority of the People Support It"

Kim Yong-min "The Media Arbitration Act is a Law for Ordinary Citizens, Small Businesses, and Small Merchants"

Kim Yong-min, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoon Seul-gi] Kim Yong-min, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized that the Media Arbitration Act (Act on Media Arbitration and Victim Relief) is a "citizen relief law" amid opposition from opposition parties, the media, and civic groups.

On the morning of the 24th, Kim appeared on MBC Radio's "Kim Jong-bae's Focus" and stated, "The laws being passed and discussed this time cannot be used by politicians for punitive damages. Power institutions cannot use them either," adding, "Ordinary citizens, small and medium-sized enterprises, and small business owners are the ones who will be protected."

He continued, "These people suffer a lot of damage from fake news. However, it is difficult for them to appeal anywhere or file lawsuits, and even if they win, the attorney fees consume everything, so they cannot even think about suing," and said, "(The Media Arbitration Act) is a law to help those who have been harmed by fake news. The claim that power institutions will exploit it is a misleading and negative distortion."

Regarding criticism that the Democratic Party is rushing the Media Arbitration Act, Kim explained, "This bill has been submitted since June 2020 and has been discussed for a long time," adding, "However, it seems that the full committee did not proceed with discussions quickly. Later, the party proposed creating laws to oversee the entire media sector, and in May, the 'Special Committee on Media Innovation' was launched, and discussions have been ongoing since then."

He added, "The important thing is that there is always opposition whenever reforms are made. When we work hard on prosecutorial reform, there is opposition saying it should not be done now; when we say we will do media reform, there is opposition saying it should not be done now. There is never a right time," and said, "Therefore, it is right to do it when it is possible and when the will and momentum for reform come together."

Furthermore, Kim addressed the opposition from media-related civic groups against the Media Arbitration Act, saying, "I think there are concerns that lead to some opposition," but added, "There are also many civic groups, scholars, and people who support it, and the majority of the public is in favor."

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party plans to process the amendment to the Media Arbitration Act at the National Assembly's Legislation and Judiciary Committee on the 24th and pass it in the plenary session tomorrow.

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