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A screenshot of a YouTube video claiming that the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement was a riot instigated by North Korean troops

Google Korea has rejected a request by South Korea’s Democratic Party to delete over a hundred videos with false or fabricated content that have been uploaded to its YouTube platform.

During a visit to Google Korea on Oct. 15, the Democratic Party’s Special Committee for Dealing with Fake News, chaired by Park Gwang-on, asked the company to delete 104 videos that may be defamatory or otherwise illegal according to the company’s own guidelines. But Google Korea said on Oct. 23 that it had informed the committee that none of the videos violated its guidelines.

The Democratic Party explained that it had asked Google Korea to delete videos containing clear falsehoods, including the claim that the Gwangju Democratization Movement, which began on May 18, 1980, was a riot instigated by North Korean troops.

Such videos “provoke social conflict by defaming not only the heroes of the Gwangju Democratization Movement but also the family members of those who lost their lives and maliciously warps the noble spirit of that movement,” the Democratic Party said, expressing its strong regret for Google Korea’s refusal to delete the video.

“If a shop is selling bad food, the owner can’t just pretend to be in the dark about it. Google’s reaction has impressed upon me the need for the government to regulate the nearly unlimited distribution of false and fabricated information,” Park Gwang-on told reporters after the briefing.

Park has submitted a bill tentatively called the Fake Information Distribution Prevention Act, which would require portal sites and internet platforms such as YouTube to delete obviously false and fabricated information within 24 hours.

“The people who run social media businesses need to monitor whether the numerous posts made on their sites are unlawful or inappropriate. German law has mandated such monitoring. Koreans, the press and NGOs need to come together at the National Assembly to frame a bill that can guarantee such responsibility,” Park said.

By Kim Tae-gyu, staff reporter

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