South Korea parliament set to pass law to curb fake news

The ruling party said the penalties were intended to put the burden of responsibility where it belonged for malicious or false reports and to minimise their emotional and material damage.

But critics, led by the opposition People Power Party, said the law would set the democratic clock back in the guise of protecting victims of fake news.

"News media that would otherwise not hesitate to report and write about illegal acts and shady affairs of those in power will be discouraged and beaten down, and the road to just society and a normal state will close," the opposition party spokeswoman said.

Parliament's legislation and judiciary committee passed the bill on Wednesday over opposition objections, clearing the last hurdle before it moves to the main chamber.

Ryu Je-hua, an attorney who specialises in media law and political cases, said the bill reflected a government aim to silence news organisations.

"This amendment would have the effect of discouraging the reporting of sensitive news," Ryu said.

South Korea, which ranks 42 of 180 countries on a World Press Freedom Index, has recently battled the spread of misinformation and cyber bullying.

The apparent suicide of two K-pop artists in 2019 put a spotlight on personal attacks and cyber bullying of vulnerable young stars.

In a poll by WinGKorea Consulting released on Tuesday, the bill had the support of 46.4per cent of the 1,024 respondents, while 41.6 per cent said it would suppress press freedom.

Governments and companies worldwide are increasingly worried about the spread of false information online and its impact, while human rights activists fear laws to curb it could be abused to silence opposition.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) last week said the South Korean bill relied on a "fundamental misunderstanding of fake news" and it threatened to create a climate of fear among Korean journalists.

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