Ruling Party Pulls the Trigger on the Controversial Press Arbitration Act

[경향신문]

“Passed” Amid Protests from the People Power Party: Do Jong-hwan, chairman of the parliamentary Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee taps the gavel declaring that the committee has passed the amendment of the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports (Press Arbitration Act) on August 19. National Assembly press photographers

On August 19, the Democratic Party of Korea pushed ahead with the amendment of the Act on Press Arbitration and Remedies, etc. for Damage Caused by Press Reports (Press Arbitration Act). The People Power Party called it, “a modern day ‘burning of books and burying of scholars,’” while the Justice Party criticized, “The Democratic Party will be recorded as another power representing deeply-rooted ill practices.” The Democratic Party plans to put the amendment to a vote in the National Assembly on August 25.

The parliamentary Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee held a plenary session and passed the Press Arbitration Act. Of the sixteen members of the committee, nine lawmakers--Democratic Party members and Open Democratic Party lawmaker Kim Eui-kyeom--voted in favor of the amendment. People Power Party lawmakers swarmed to the committee chair, Do Jong-hwan and protested.

At the center of the controversial amendment lies an article that states that a media outlet responsible for publishing false or fabricated reports intentionally or due to gross negligence must cough up compensations of up to five times the amount of damages. The media company can be requested to take down or block access to the article and to publish a correction. High-ranking officials, elected public officials, large companies and their major shareholders will not be able to seek punitive compensation for damages from media companies.

People Power Party leader Lee Jun-seok said, “We will fiercely fight the attempt to kill and dominate the press.”

Justice Party floor leader Bae Jin-gyo said, “They are only trying to censor press reports without providing an environment for the press to provide independent and fair coverage,” and added, “Instead of arbitrating the press, it looks like we’ll have to arbitrate the Democratic Party, which is ramming bill after bill.”

Four press groups--the Korea Broadcasting Journalist Association, the National Union of Media Workers, the Journalists Association of Korea, and the Korean Producers and Directors Association--released a comment and said, “The critical press will suffocate just with the expression, false and fabricated information,” and added, “If they do not stop the legislation, we, who have tried hard not to let go of the string of trust in the Democratic Party, which claims to represent the candlelight, will be the first to make a decision.”

The amendment will undergo a five-day deliberation period according to the National Assembly Act and the Legislation and Judiciary Committee will vote on the bill next week. The Democratic Party plans to pass the amendment in the National Assembly on August 25. Democratic Party floor leader Yun Ho-jung said, “We continued to listen to the opinions of the opposition parties and the press and reflected them as much as we could in the amendment.”

A key Cheongwadae official said, “We need efforts in legislation to increase the effectiveness of remedies for damages suffered by citizens due to faulty press coverage.”