The South Korean government on Friday rebuffed claims by Republican members of the US House of Representatives that the country's amended Network Act could be used for political censorship.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the legislation "was pursued with the aim of addressing social harms arising from changes in the digital environment and strengthening user protection," adding that it "contains no discriminatory elements targeting US companies."
Earlier, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan and fellow Republican lawmakers published a letter Thursday addressed to the Korea Communications Commission, calling the Network Act "a significant threat to speech and expression online."
The lawmakers said the law would allow the commission "to punish American companies and users for exercising constitutionally protected rights," and warned that "the vague and unclear scope of its application raises concerns that it could be used to censor politically disfavored viewpoints."
In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government would "actively explain the intent and effects of the legislation to the House Judiciary Committee in cooperation with relevant ministries, taking into account the purpose for which the bill was drafted."
The amended Network Act was passed by the National Assembly on Dec. 24 last year and took effect July 7. It requires platform operators — including Naver, Kakao, Google, Meta and X — to remove or block false and manipulated information, and sets out penalty provisions for non-compliance.
The House Judiciary Committee last month also released a report alleging that the South Korean government was discriminating against US companies, including Coupang Inc, in violation of bilateral trade agreements.
sunpine@heraldcorp.com
