Opposition: "Mouth-Shutting Law Is Unconstitutional... Will Respond with Constitutional Petition and Comprehensive Revision"

Song Eonseok: "Freedom of expression is the foundation of democracy"

As the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act, commonly referred to as the "Mouth-Shutting Act," took effect on July 7, opposition parties have continued to fiercely criticize it. The People Power Party stated that it would review the amendment for potential constitutional violations, and that it is considering filing a constitutional complaint and proposing a full revision of the law.

Jeong Jeomsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, is speaking at the party's policy meeting held at the National Assembly on the 7th.

Jeong Jeomsik, floor leader of the People Power Party, said at the party's policy meeting held in the morning, "The biggest problem with the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act is that the state decides what is true or false, and what constitutes hate, and then imposes punishment." He expressed concern, saying, "Depending on the interests of those in power, fact and falsehood will become mixed and hate speech will run rampant."

He went on to say, "A society that is silenced out of fear of being stigmatized is a dictatorship. The Democratic Party infringed upon corporate freedoms with the Yellow Envelope Act, and now, with the Mouth-Shutting Act, is violating freedom of expression. This is the Democratic Party’s consistent line." He further stated, "The Mouth-Shutting Act is a bad law and unconstitutional. We will file a constitutional complaint and propose a full amendment."

Criticism within the party is growing. Jang Donghyuk, a People Power Party leader, wrote on his social media on this day, "A world where only praise for Lee Jaemyung (the President) remains in the online space is the kind of Republic of Korea they want." He added, "More than 142,000 people agreed to the National Assembly petition to withdraw the Mouth-Shutting Act in just one month." He also stated, "The Mouth-Shutting Act will bring about the end of this regime."

Song Eonseok, another People Power Party lawmaker, wrote on social media the previous day, "When I was floor leader, I strongly pointed out the unconstitutionality of this bill as it was being pushed through the National Assembly and even launched a filibuster to prevent its passage." He explained, "Even after the bill passed, I repeatedly urged President Lee to exercise his veto power, but President Lee ignored the concerns of the public and the opposition."

Song emphasized, "The sacred ground of democracy is not any specific event or place, but rather the constitutional value of liberal democracy. Freedom of expression is the foundation of democracy, and no authority should arbitrarily restrict it." He added, "Starting from the very first disposition based on this law, we will protect the people's freedoms and constitutional values through all possible legal means, including constitutional review and constitutional complaints."

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