The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced that a meeting of the "Government-Wide Task Force on False and Fake News" was held on May 8 at 4 p.m. at the Government Seoul Complex, chaired by Minister Yoon Ho-joong. This meeting follows discussions held in February and April among relevant ministers, aimed at strengthening intergovernmental cooperation leading up to the elections.
The task force was established in response to the serious issue of persistent and malicious false and fake news circulating on various online platforms and social media, which could significantly hinder citizens' exercise of their voting rights.
Attendees at the meeting included deputy ministers from the Office for Government Policy Coordination, the Korea Communications Commission, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Police Agency. They reviewed the progress of each agency's response efforts and discussed effective measures to eradicate false and fake news.
The government plans to implement a comprehensive strategy to block false and fake news across all sectors. The Korea Communications Commission is operating a "Public-Private Joint Self-Regulation Task Force" to swiftly remove and block access to false and fake news on online platforms until the elections. They will regularly monitor the situation and encourage proactive measures from platform operators.
Since May 4, 30 days before the election, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has begun a concentrated cleanup of illegal advertising materials. They are promptly addressing banners that violate the "Election Advertising Management Guidelines" and relevant laws, having already removed over 30,000 illegal banners by March. Additionally, special joint inspection teams will be deployed to ensure strict penalties for public officials involved in posting or distributing false and fake news or interfering in the elections, regardless of intent.
The prosecution and police have classified false and fake news, along with black propaganda, bribery, and public official election interference, as key election crimes that threaten fair elections, and are conducting thorough investigations. They will respond vigorously to organized and repeated dissemination of false and fake news, applying a zero-tolerance policy for severe penalties.
The Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism are also focusing on prevention and awareness campaigns. The Ministry of Education is enhancing digital media literacy education to combat the spread of manipulated information on social media, and in collaboration with the National Election Commission, is conducting "New Voter Education" for 400,000 high school students to inform them about election procedures and political laws. The Ministry of Culture is using KTV and government social media to provide accurate policy information and disseminate messages to eradicate false and fake news.
The National Election Commission, a constitutional body, has established a "Special Response Team for Deepfakes, False Information, and Defamation" to thoroughly address false and fake news. They maintain a close cooperation system, sharing relevant information with the government in real-time and reporting serious violations to law enforcement agencies.
Minister Yoon Ho-joong stated, "False and fake news not only obstructs citizens' free exercise of their voting rights but also undermines trust in elections, fuels social conflict and chaos, and constitutes a serious crime that damages the foundations of democracy. The government will relentlessly pursue and respond to organized and malicious dissemination of false and fake news, ensuring that this local election is conducted more fairly and cleanly than ever before through close cooperation across the government until election day."
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.