Han Byung-do, acting leader and floor leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, said Tuesday that the newly enacted revision to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection is "the minimum institutional safeguard for preventing the production and spread of false and manipulated information and holding those responsible accountable." Speaking at a floor strategy meeting at the National Assembly that morning, Han said fake news and disinformation are "a serious crime that destroys individual lives and undermines social trust and democracy."
He said major advanced countries, including Germany and the EU, have already established relevant systems to foster a healthy online ecosystem. He pledged that the Democratic Party would do its utmost to ensure the revised law takes stable effect and to build an online environment where citizens can feel safe.
Han also took aim at the People Power Party, saying it was "distorting the facts by portraying this law as a government censorship tool." He said prioritizing political conflict over facts and stoking public anxiety "is never the posture of a responsible political party."
He added that the PPP had recently called for a parliamentary investigation and a special prosecutor over the mega-project initiative, and was now pushing for a constitutional complaint against a law taking effect that very day. "It is a petty mindset of reflexively opposing everything the Lee Jae Myung government and the Democratic Party do," he said.
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
