Yang Bunam Refutes Defamation Bill Controversy: "Not Just Protecting China, Stop Distorting the Facts"

"Not Targeted at Specific Countries or Ethnicities, Aims to Prevent Hate Speech"
"Intended to Protect Human Rights, Not to Infringe on Freedom of Expression"

As controversy spreads over the bill on "Punishment for Insult and Defamation by False Information Against Specific Countries, Nationals, and Ethnicities," sponsored by Yang Bunam, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea, Assemblyman Yang issued a strong rebuttal, stating, "Do not distort the legislative intent."

Yang Bunam, member of the Democratic Party of Korea. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

On November 7, Assemblyman Yang released a statement, saying, "Some are misrepresenting the contents of the bill, distorting its legislative purpose, and even directing abusive language at me personally. I express my deepest regret." He stressed, "The amendment is not limited to China or Chinese nationals, but punishes acts of defamation or insult by false information against any country or ethnicity worldwide. Criticism based on facts must be protected."

Assemblyman Yang stated, "This is not a law intended to suppress freedom of expression or to silence the public. Article 21 of the Constitution prohibits expressions that infringe on the honor and rights of others, and hate speech targeting specific countries or ethnicities is a clear violation of human rights." He added, "Germany, France, and the United Kingdom also punish hate speech based on race, religion, or sexual orientation, and the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has also recommended that Korea enact relevant legislation."

He further explained, "This amendment does not establish a new criminal penalty, but rather adopts the existing provisions of the Criminal Act as they are. The claim that 'criticizing China will result in five years of imprisonment' is not true." Regarding the exclusion of complaint-based and non-prosecution-by-objection crimes, he said, "Due to the nature of group defamation, it is difficult to confirm the victim's intent. There is no reason why anyone should have to endure hate simply because they are nationals of a particular country, and such acts must be punished."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.