Trending 
South Korea has begun enforcing a revised law targeting online misinformation, with tougher penalties for offenders.
The move follows growing concerns over the spread of digital misinformation in the country, including several high-profile cases involving celebrities.
However, opposition politicians, civic groups, and media experts have warned that the law could undermine free speech and pave the way for government censorship.
The main opposition, the People Power Party (PPP), has repeatedly criticised the amendment, arguing that online platforms will over-censor content to avoid conflict with the government, while users may resort to self-censorship.
“We will see a world where platform companies excessively remove information, investigative journalism is stifled, and citizens find it difficult to even speak their minds,” PPP spokesperson Cho Yong-sool said in a statement.
Before the amendment, South Korea relied on general defamation laws and civil damages claims to address false information, without a dedicated legal framework targeting online misinformation.
With the revised law, South Korea joins a growing number of countries seeking to curb the spread of online falsehoods that can have serious real-world consequences.
Under the amended Information and Communications Network Act, individuals who intentionally spread illegal, false, or manipulated information may be ordered to pay up to five times the actual damages caused.
Repeat offenders whose content has been ruled illegal by the courts face fines of up to one billion won ($655,000).
Online platforms are also required to establish systems for users to report suspected false or manipulated content and publish transparency reports every six months detailing complaints received and actions taken.
South Korea experienced a surge in online misinformation following the failed 2024 martial law attempt, including unsubstantiated claims of Chinese interference in the country’s electoral system.
In a separate high-profile case, a right-wing YouTuber was indicted for allegedly using AI-generated audio to falsely claim that actor Kim Soo-hyun had dated a now-deceased actress while she was a minor.
The allegations escalated into a major scandal, prompting Kim to suspend public appearances and to have one of his major projects indefinitely postponed.
