A bill is being pursued to set up a relief process through the Press Arbitration Commission to prevent harm caused by the spread of false information by so-called cyber wreckers such as YouTubers.

Kim Jang-gyeom (김장겸), a People Power Party lawmaker on the National Assembly’s Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, said on Jan. 27 that he has introduced an amendment to the Press Arbitration Act, dubbed the cyber wrecker victim relief bill, to establish an arbitration process for online information.

The key to the revision is expanding the scope of the commission’s mediation and arbitration, previously limited to news reports, to online information with strong reach.

Under the bill, victims can demand that online information posters publish corrections, rebuttals or follow-up information, or they can apply to the commission for mediation or arbitration. If mediation fails and the case moves to a civil lawsuit, the court would be required to deliver a ruling within three months, taking priority over other trials, to promote swift relief.

It defines mediation targets as posts uploaded by information providers whose subscriber counts, views or revenue meet certain thresholds, or information with major impact due to widespread sharing. The lawmaker’s office explained that the scope was set so as not to infringe on ordinary users’ freedom of expression.

According to data Kim received from the National Police Agency, online defamation and insult crimes rose about 230 percent over 10 years to 29,258 cases in 2023 from 8,880 in 2014.

Kim said, "While debate has continued over whether YouTubers should be regarded as the press, victims have been left in a blind spot," and added, "Rather than extreme confrontation such as punitive damages, establishing a mediation process through dialogue and compromise accords with the spirit of the constitution."