hankyoreh

By Kim Jae-seob, Staff Writer

In a move that is expected to create controversy, the Lee Myung-bak administration is pushing to allow the immediate deletion of posts on Internet bulletin boards and cafes in the event of an “unexpected incident” such as the sinking of the Cheonan or artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island. Critics say the move is essentially preemptive censorship that bypasses even Korea Communications Standards Commission (KOCSC) review procedures based on the single standard of whether the posts are “intended to cause social disruption.”
“We are creating a manual that would compel portals to increase monitoring of posts that go up on bulletin boards, cafes, and blogs in the event of a tense situation on the Korean Peninsula, and to immediately delete posts that government institutions have reported as false, without submitting them to KOCSC review,” a Korea Communications Commission official said Tuesday.
The KCC has already completed discussions on the manual with the Korea Internet Self-Governance Organization and officials at portal sites. Previously, the KCC delivered a Dec. 17 operational report to President Lee Myung-bak in which it said it planed to “step up autonomous private review of patent falsehoods and groundless rumors spread on the Internet for the purpose of causing social disruption.”
The Lee administration says that the establishment of the manual is merely a limited measure aimed at responding to a state of emergency.
“It establishes a system for immediate response for situations such as the spreading of false rumors at the time of the North Korean military’s attack on Yeonpyeong Island, when rumors of a reserve forces mobilization order circulated on Internet bulletin boards and cell phone text messages, increasing anxieties among the public,” explained a KCC official.
“It would allow the immediate deletion without review only of those posts that a government organization has reported as patently false during a situation of tension.”
But observers are expecting controversy due to the lack of a clear standard as to what the government would constitute a “situation of tension” or what kind of content would be regarded as having the goal of “social disruption.”
Indeed, the manual presents ample potential for political abuse, as it would require following the arbitrary decisions of the government. If it goes into effect, posts such as those questioning the cause of the Cheonan’s sinking or the safety of U.S. beef could be reported by a corresponding government organization as “intended to cause social disruption” and immediately deleted.
Civic organizations and Internet businesses are calling the manual anachronistic.
An official at one company said, “If the government applies pressure on the pretext of private autonomy, the provider will be forced to deal with criticisms resulting from the deletion.”
Chun Eung-hwi, a member of the National Council of Green Consumers’ Networks in Korea policy committee, said, “The manual currently being pushed by the KCC creates a system that would allow the government to implement emergency degrees against the cyber-world.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]