'GSGG' Kim Seungwon, Offers to Return Salary After Media Arbitration Act Processing Postponed

"Complete it to the end no matter what humiliation is endured"
Choo Mi-ae "According to parliamentary customs, it is practically canceled"
"The ruling party has succumbed to the opposition and the media"

Seungwon Kim, Democratic Party of Korea / Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Juhyung] As the passage of the 'Media Arbitration Act Amendment' pushed by the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) has been virtually derailed this month, DPK lawmaker Kim Seung-won emphasized his determination to push forward on the 30th, saying, "No matter what humiliation we endure, we will complete it to the end." Earlier, the DPK had formed an '8-member consultative body' with opposition parties and expert groups to reach an agreement, but it appears they ultimately failed to narrow their differences.

On the same day, Kim wrote on his Facebook, "Until (the bill is passed), I will return my salary to the struggling people and work harder," adding, "I apologize to everyone for the times I worked my mouth raw until 4 a.m. due to obstruction by People Power Party lawmakers."

Earlier, at the end of last month, Kim had expressed regret over the failure to pass the Media Arbitration Act. On Facebook, he lamented, "Today, we could not embody the people's aspirations. What more must we concede to pass the Fake News Relief Act?"

At that time, Kim sparked controversy by making remarks that could be interpreted as insulting National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seok.

He said, "I will stake all my positions to ensure it passes properly and more strongly," adding, "Thank you very much, Park Byeong-seok. This will go down in history. GSGG." Some raised suspicions that the term 'GSGG' mentioned after Speaker Park's name was a profanity.

As the controversy grew, Kim deleted the phrase and revised it to, "We must not forget that a governor has the duty to faithfully serve the general will of the people." He also personally visited the Speaker's office before the plenary session to apologize to Speaker Park.

Kim Yong-min, Supreme Council Member of the Democratic Party of Korea, and lawmakers are holding a press conference on the 29th at the National Assembly Communication Office urging the plenary session to put the Media Arbitration Act on the agenda. / Photo by Yonhap News

Kim was not the only one expressing regret over the failure to pass the Media Arbitration Act. Former Minister of Justice and DPK presidential candidate Chu Mi-ae also wrote on Facebook, "Although the deadline for passage has been postponed to the end of December in form, considering the practices and behaviors of the National Assembly so far, it is effectively dead," asserting, "Unfortunately, the ruling party has succumbed to threats from the media and opposition."

The Media Arbitration Act is the abbreviation of the 'Act on Media Arbitration and Relief for Damages,' and the core of this amendment was to impose up to five times punitive damages on media companies for false and fabricated reports.

Earlier, the DPK invested significant effort to the extent of suggesting the possibility of passing the bill unilaterally, but opposition parties and some civic groups strongly opposed it, arguing it could muzzle freedom of the press. There were also continuous concerns within the DPK about a potential backlash. DPK presidential candidates Park Yong-jin and Kim Du-kwan publicly voiced worries about side effects.

The ruling and opposition parties set the deadline for the bill's plenary session submission as the 27th and formed an '8-member consultative body' consisting of four lawmakers from each side and four experts to reach an agreement by the submission date. However, despite postponing the submission to the 29th and holding several meetings, they apparently failed to narrow their differences.

Regarding this, DPK floor leader Yoon Ho-jung said at a policy coordination meeting on the 30th, "Although we could not pass the Fake News Relief Act as scheduled yesterday (29th), the plenary session is still pending," emphasizing, "Even if the opposition is passive, we will persuade them well and complete media reform."

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