Yoon: "Failure to Prevent Fake News Threatens Market Economy"

Mentioning "Digital Norms," "Fake News Threatens Democracy and Market Economy"
President Yoon Urges 'Follow-up Measures' at Cabinet Meeting After ASEAN and G20 Tours
"Heartbreaking News from Education Field"... Calls for Passage of Bills to Establish and Protect Teachers' Rights

President Yoon Suk-yeol emphasized on the 12th that "if we fail to prevent the spread of fake news, our future and the lives of future generations will also be threatened." Highlighting the necessity of establishing 'digital norms' that the government is preparing, President Yoon urged leaders of various countries at last week's Group of Twenty (G20) summit to "establish new digital norms to expand the freedoms of global citizens."

On the morning of the same day, President Yoon presided over a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan Presidential Office, stating, "If we fail to prevent the spread of fake news caused by the misuse of AI and digital technologies, liberal democracy will be threatened, and the market economy based on liberal democracy will also be at risk."

President Yoon Suk-yeol is declaring the opening of the Cabinet meeting held on the 12th at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

The background behind President Yoon mentioning 'digital norms' while discussing the outcomes of last week's overseas trip lies in his judgment that only such governance establishment can maximize human freedom and welfare. President Yoon elaborated, "Now that all cultures and industries are based on digital technology due to the advancement of digitalization, the entire world must support countries with insufficient digital dissemination and utilization, especially the Digital South (emerging digital countries in the Southern Hemisphere), to reduce the digital divide and ensure fair digital access between nations."

This was also a point President Yoon emphasized to other leaders during his recent trip. At the G20 summit, he stated, "The digital divide, cybercrime, and fake news threaten the freedoms of global citizens," and added, "We must guarantee fair access to digital technology and further establish new digital norms to expand the freedoms of global citizens."

The 'digital norms' proposal that President Yoon presented on the global stage was also reflected as an achievement in the G20 summit joint declaration. The leaders included a phrase under the section 'Technological Transformation and Digital Public Infrastructure' stating, "We welcome the establishment of a G20 framework for public digital infrastructure systems." The Presidential Office explained this as "international recognition of the importance and necessity of President Yoon's efforts to establish digital norms."

On the same day, President Yoon instructed the establishment of various communication and consultation channels regarding emerging strategic markets, saying, "Our economy will be invigorated and jobs created only when we navigate overseas markets as if they were our own home." This was an order for practical follow-up measures in economic cooperation achieved at previous summits, with a promise to "meet with leaders of all countries where Korean citizens and companies have entered during my term and support our people and businesses."

Through the Korea-China summit with Premier Li Qiang, President Yoon also expressed his determination regarding the Korea-China-Japan summit. He stated, "During this trip, Premier Li Qiang and Prime Minister Kishida expressed their support for the resumption of the Korea-China-Japan summit," and added, "As the chair country, Korea will actively promote the holding of the Korea-China-Japan summit."

After receiving reports on domestic issues from aides the previous afternoon, President Yoon commented on the ongoing Saturday gatherings of teachers nationwide, saying, "There have been successive distressing news from the education field recently," and emphasized, "The normalization of the education field must be achieved swiftly." He further stated, "I hope that the bills submitted to establish teachers' rights, including the 'Framework Act on Education' which stipulates guardians' obligation to cooperate with legitimate educational activities, will be promptly processed by the National Assembly." He also urged the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Justice to swiftly revise the 'Teacher Rights Exercise Guidelines' to ensure that teachers' legitimate exercise of their rights is not punished.