On the 19th, People Power Party Representative Joo Jin-woo, a member of the National Assembly's 'Special Committee on Fact-Finding for the 9th National Simultaneous Local Election Ballot Shortage and Election Management Reform,' speaks at the National Assembly Communication Hall, revealing that 82.1% of the National Election Commission's contracts over the past five years were private contracts. [Photo = Yonhap News]People Power Party Representative Joo Jin-woo stated on the 4th regarding the revised Information and Communications Network Act, which is set to take effect on the 7th, "Once the law goes into effect, I will file a constitutional appeal as a citizen to challenge the unconstitutionality of SNS censorship."

In a Facebook post that day, Representative Joo referred to the law as a "bill to gag the public," expressing his position as follows.

He remarked, "The law is a hasty piece of legislation, created without even establishing a body to determine what constitutes false or manipulated information," adding, "It is a clear violation of constitutional provisions, including the prohibition of prior censorship, the principle of non-excessiveness, freedom of the press and expression, and freedom of thought and conscience."

He further argued, "This bill, which imposes excessive sanctions on SNS community operators, will trigger trade disputes with the United States."

The revised Information and Communications Network Act defines information that incites violence or discrimination, or severely promotes hatred based on race, nationality, region, gender, disability, age, social status, income level, or property status, as illegal information starting from the 7th.

In response, the Broadcasting and Media Communications Standards Commission (BMCSC) has announced that it will strengthen its response to online discriminatory and hateful expressions.