Lee Jae-myung "South Korea's Media Trust Ranked 38th out of 40 Countries... Urgent Need to Enact Media Arbitration Act"

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Lee Jae-myung, the Democratic Party presidential candidate and Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated once again that strict responsibility must be held for intentional and malicious false reporting. Lee has consistently asserted this position whenever he had the opportunity.

On the 27th, through Facebook, Lee defined the media by saying, "The media plays a role in helping the judgment of sovereign citizens in a representative democracy," and "It is such an important institution that it is called the fourth estate, following the legislative, judicial, and executive branches that uphold the democratic system."

He continued, "With great influence comes great responsibility," and pointed out, "However, many citizens have doubts about whether the media has borne the responsibility that comes with the authority it has been given."

In particular, he noted, "While South Korea has had the highest 'press freedom' in Asia for three consecutive years, its 'media trust' has remained among the lowest in the world for five years out of 40 major countries," adding, "This year it ranks 38th, and the media itself should reflect on why such results have come about."

Lee also stated clearly, "I believe that unverified or somewhat careless reporting that results in errors should be tolerated," but added, "However, if the privilege granted to protect democracy is abused to confuse people's judgment with fake news, that is a different matter."

Furthermore, he emphasized, "Deliberately knowing that the information is false and using the name of the media to inflict harm on someone is a threat to the democratic system itself," and "Strict responsibility must be held for malicious and intentional fake news."

Lee firmly stated, "Criticisms that the Media Arbitration Act weakens oversight of power or is a gag on the media for regime extension are not true," and "Politicians and political powers cannot file punitive damages claims, and since it will be implemented from April next year, it has nothing to do with the presidential election held on March 9."

He added, "Because it can hold intentional and malicious false reporting accountable, I believe it serves as a mechanism to protect socially vulnerable victims," and "It guarantees the minimum means for citizens to protect themselves and establishes minimum self-purification measures for the media."

Finally, Lee emphasized, "While various concerns and legal points should be fully considered to create a reasonable bill, that is not a reason to delay or suspend the Media Arbitration Act," and "Even if there are some regrets, it is time to take the first step toward the media reform that the people want."

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