[2023 National Audit] Science and ICT Committee Focuses on R&D and Fake News... "Representatives of the 3 Major Telecom Companies Must Appear"

Ministry of Science and ICT Hearing Predicts R&D Budget and Space Agency Clash
Previous Day's Broadcasting Commission Hearing Featured Fake News Debate

As the National Assembly Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee's audit began on the 10th, the ruling and opposition parties are engaged in heated debates over fake news and cuts to research and development (R&D) budgets. Additionally, the establishment of the Space and Aviation Agency is a key issue.

On the 11th, the ruling and opposition parties in the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee are expected to clash over R&D budget cuts and the establishment of the Space and Aviation Agency during the Ministry of Science and ICT audit. After President Yoon Seok-yeol mentioned the 'R&D cartel,' the government set next year's national R&D budget at 21.5 trillion won, a reduction of 3.45 trillion won from this year. While the government and ruling party emphasize efficiency, the opposition is expected to strongly criticize the budget cuts, citing a decline in national competitiveness and deterioration of the research environment.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Conflict between the ruling and opposition parties is also anticipated regarding the Space Agency. The establishment of the Space Agency nearly reached an agreement at the agenda coordination committee on the 5th but stalled at the last minute due to disagreements over the agency’s R&D functions. The government and ruling party believe the Space Agency should directly handle R&D, whereas the opposition insists it should serve solely as an administrative agency. Even before the start of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission audit the previous day, loud exchanges occurred between the parties over the Space Agency.

The proportion of information and communication technology (ICT) issues is expected to be small. The audit began without witnesses or reference witnesses from related companies because the ruling and opposition parties failed to agree on witness selection. However, since it is a livelihood issue, some lawmakers plan to question household communication costs. Additionally, the ruling party intends to focus intensively on the distribution of fake news, continuing from the previous day.

During the previous day’s audit of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission and the Korea Communications Standards Commission, the ruling and opposition parties showed opposing views on the commission’s measures to eradicate fake news. The ruling party expressed concerns that fake news intensifies conflicts between political camps and threatens national security, while the opposition called for social discussion on sanctions against fake news and took a cautious stance. Lee Dong-gwan, chairman of the Broadcasting and Communications Commission, announced plans to establish a comprehensive plan to eradicate fake news within the year and to pursue legislation to strengthen portal accountability.

In this regard, Kim Byung-wook of the People Power Party demanded disclosure of the appearance fees of public broadcasting radio hosts who produce fake news and requested submission of related materials. Kim said, "Since the previous government, hosts on major radio stations including public broadcasting have played a fountainhead role in producing numerous fake news and false information," adding, "The appearance fees of hosts known to receive high fees, such as Kim Eo-jun and Joo Jin-woo, must be disclosed."

Hong Seok-jun of the People Power Party said, "Considering South Korea’s unique situation, there is a possibility of being shaken by North Korea’s psychological warfare through fake news," and added, "With the development of information and communication and smartphones, the risk of spread is even greater." He emphasized the need for fake news regulations suited to the ChatGPT era.

On the other hand, Park Wan-joo of the Democratic Party stressed, "Who will judge the intentionality of false and manipulated news?" and said, "There needs to be social consensus and careful consideration regarding the definition of fake news and what measures to take in fake news cases."

Meanwhile, there were calls for the heads of the three mobile carriers and overseas OTT representatives to appear as witnesses at the audit. Min Hyung-bae of the Democratic Party said, "There have been deceptive acts regarding 5G speeds, and the success rate of mobile phone location tracking in emergencies is very different from what the Broadcasting and Communications Commission claims," adding, "The heads of the three mobile carriers must appear." He also said, "The same applies to YouTube. Since we are charged relatively high fees, the person responsible must appear as a witness."

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