US State Dept. warns South Korea's Network Act risks discriminating against American firms, enabling censorship

The US Department of State on Thursday expressed concerns over South Korea's enforcement of amendments to the Network Act, warning that the law "should not impose undue burdens on US companies" and "should not be used as a vehicle to require censorship of free expression."

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Yonhap News Agency that the United States has "serious concerns" that the amended Network Act "could lead to excessive content regulation and undermine freedom of expression." He added that Washington hopes Seoul will "maintain ongoing dialogue with key stakeholders, particularly US technology companies, to ensure that enforcement does not have a chilling effect on free expression."

Pigott said the United States "will continue to work with South Korea to foster a free and open digital environment for all."

The amended Network Act prohibits and penalizes the spread of false and manipulated information through online networks, and requires large platform operators to remove illegal and false content. Passed in December last year, the law took effect Tuesday.

The Trump administration has consistently argued that the law conflicts with US principles on online content regulation — which place a premium on free expression — and could burden major American platform companies such as Meta and Google. Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Stiles Rogers also conveyed that position to South Korean officials during a visit to Seoul in April and discussed the issue with them.

Pigott said Rogers had "productive conversations" with South Korean officials earlier this year and viewed positively their "engagement and understanding of the risks that vaguely written provisions could cause platforms to over-censor speech."

With the Trump administration repeatedly framing the amended Network Act as discriminatory against US companies, concerns are growing that the law could become a bilateral trade issue — following the Coupang Inc. data breach dispute — adding another flashpoint to the US-South Korea relationship.