South Korea Begins Enforcement of False Information Law
South Korea is now enforcing a law that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers for spreading false information.
The amended Information and Communications Network Act allows courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large social media channels (including YouTubers) that circulate illegal, false, or manipulated information to cause harm or generate profit, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
After a court has confirmed information to be false or manipulated, people who distribute it more than twice can be fined up to 1 billion won ($656,000). Internet companies operating social media platforms with more than 1 million daily users are required to take additional measures, such as removing content or suspending accounts, when they receive reports of false information. They must also publish transparency reports every six months outlining complaints and actions taken.
The enforcement comes after a series of misinformation and disinformation scandals in South Korea. Democrats said the law is necessary to counter a growing threat of fake news that undermines democracy by fueling divisions and hate speech, AP reported. Misinformation and unsubstantiated YouTube theories about election fraud helped fuel the short-lived martial law declaration by former President Yoon Suk Yeol in 2024.
Outside of politics, last year Korean actor Kim Soo-hyun was targeted in a false information campaign, including deepfake audio mimicking late actress Kim Sae-ron that linked her death to the actor, The Korea Times reported. The allegations spread quickly—far faster than police could investigate the claims. More than 2,000 articles were published about the controversy in a week. YouTuber Kim Se-eui was later arrested on charges of spreading the false information about Kim Soo-hyun, but the damage was done. Kim Soo-hyun’s career was severely affected.
Korea previously relied on general defamation laws and civil damage claims to address false information, so the new law seeks to spotlight disinformation and heighten the consequences for creating and spreading it.
Critics of the new law warned that it lacks a clear legal definition for false or manipulated information, which could invite overly broad legal enforcement and foster self-censorship and a chilling effect on journalists, EuroNews reported.
The Journalists Association of Korea said that the prospect of news organizations repeatedly facing massive legal disputes could have an “unavoidable chilling effect,” according to the AP. Online platform operators could also heighten their scrutiny and moderation of posts to avoid liability, critics said.
Read more about the effect of dis- and misinformation on corporate security operations in this 2025 article from Security Management: “Truth Under Siege: How Disinformation Threatens Corporate Security.”
