YouTube Phenomena in South Korea: Demand for Freedom of Expression and the Efforts to Suppress it
2018-11-4, Tara O
The Moon Jae-in administration and its Deobureo Minju Party declared war on “fake news” recently, specifically targeting YouTube, as it became more popular as a news source. Deobureo Minju Party proposed an amendment to the Broadcasting Act in early September 2018. “If…(it) is passed, the one-person internet broadcast will be subject to control, just like the airwave broadcasts, said National Assemblyman Kim Jin-tae (김진태), Liberty Korea Party. He said the Minju Party and the current power cannot tolerate the non-obedient individual broadcasters, and reminded them that “everyone [only] praising [the leader and those in power] is what [North Korea’s] Supreme People’s Assembly does.”
The “anti-fake news” activities picked up soon after Moon’s interview on September 25, 2018 on the U.S. television channel Fox News, when television correspondent Bret Baier asked Moon about his critics saying he is undermining free speech in South Korea. (11:35) Moon answered by claiming that freedom of speech has never been greater, and mentioned the weekly protest at Gwanghwamun heavily criticizing him. Interestingly, the mainstream media do not report on these weekly rallies, which have gone on for more than two years. This was the first time the Moon administration acknowledged the weekly flag (Taegukki) rallies. His other response was to label the criticism as “fake news,” which is “spread through social networks and goes unpunished.” (11:58) His party has also labeled inconvenient truths as “fake news,” and started high-pressure, comprehensive efforts to suppress freedom of speech, which are highlighted below.
Another impetus to this stepped up suppression of free speech came from the Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon (이낙연), who is from the Douburreo Minju Party (Moon’s party). He posted on Facebook what he wrote on the visitor’s log when he visited Ho Chi Minh residence:
He was great, but frugal, frugal, but great. He loved his subjects and he received the love of his subjects. I become endlessly small and ashamed when faced with the life of juseok. 2018.9.26. The Republic of Korea Prime Minister Lee Nak-yeon
Clearly, Lee admires this Juseok. “Juseok” is a term used for a communist leader, and older Koreans have mostly heard the term used for Kim Il-sung, the first ruler of North Korea. Lee also praised Kim Jong-un as “an outstanding leader” who “prioritizes his subjects’ lives more than anything else” on July 19, 2018 when Lee visited Kenya.
Thus questions and suspicions emerged on social networks about whether Prime Minister Lee was praising Kim Il-sung instead. Lee termed this “fake news.” On October 2, 2018, Lee said he can “no longer tolerate” fake news, and called for a strong response from prosecutors, police, and the Korea Communications Commission. He also instructed ministries and agencies to “improve” the system and essentially told the internet companies to “strengthen their [internal] regulations.”
Subsequently, on October 10, the Deobureo Minju Party launched a comprehensive Special Committee on Measures Against Fake News and a reporting hotline. The special committee consists of a secretariat and six councils, and the councils consist of a monitoring team, a fact checking team, a legal support team, a public relations planning team, a system improvement team, and an advisory board. The committee essentially dubbed as “fake news” anything critical or questioning of the Moon government on social media, especially focusing on YouTube, including not only the contents, but the online comments related to the articles and YouTube videos.
Park Kwang-on (박광온), the Committee Chair, personally visited Google Korea on October 15 to deliver a list of 104 cases for content on Youtube to be removed. Google stated that it will follow Google’s policies.
When Google later replied with a letter stating there was no content that violated Google policy, Park expressed his “strong regret” and said Google Korea could be subject to punishment.
The party will also ask the state-run Communications Standards Commission to examine the videos in question, Park said. He also stated “after completing a legal review, we plan to proceed with legal actions” on those YouTube cases.
By October 12, the police were already investigating 16 cases of alleged “fake news,” six of which were about Moon’s health (people questioning whether he has Alzheimer’s due to his reliance on A4 size paper notes when he holds conversations with foreign leaders, among others), some criticized the handling of South Korea-North Korea relations, and yet others questioned the details of the 5.18 Gwangju incident.
On October 29, Park Kwang-on held a Science, ICT (Internet Communications Technologies), Broadcasting, and Communication Commission Inspection and called Google Korea head, John Lee, to the National Assembly for questioning related to Google’s alleged tax evasion and YouTube’s alleged fake videos.
Park began by saying to Lee “You know enough about the Gwangju democracy movement, right?” Then Park asked “The Gwangju democracy movement was a riot committed by North Korean special forces. True or False?” When Lee said he understands Gwangju as a “tragedy,” but did not know enough of the details to answer the question, Park said “You told me you know the Gwangju Democracy movement.” The question of whether North Korea was involved in Gwangju is highly controversial and the government is supposed to conduct further investigation. Thus, trying to force an answer from Lee on such a controversial and political issue and pressuring Google to prevent discussions on the topic by having the issue removed from the platform raises many legal and ethical questions about the committee, its members, and their motives.
Despite these pressure tactics from the Moon government, Youtube-based programs/expressions are growing rapidly. (0:48) The reason for the growth is because the public cannot get reliable news from traditional news sources, which are under monitoring and restrictions. (1:05) People have searched around and have started to turn to YouTube for news, where there are many channels that support the ideas of freedom (of speech, press, assembly, etc.), rule of law, market economy, strong national security, and pro-Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance. The Moon administration and the Deobureo Minju Party have labeled people, organizations, and YouTube channels with such views as “extremist right,” as if they’re violent fringe groups. Based on the amount of traffic to these sites, it does not appear that the public shares their views.
According to PenNMike, a list of YouTube accounts/programs labeled “extremist right” is circulating on the social network along with instructions on how to stop ads on YouTube, preventing these YouTubers from earning income from advertising. (1.30) Despite the labeling, a review of the content on these channels shows that they are not “extreme.” They are trying to present the facts and perspectives on political issues that are being neglected by the mainstream media. What they have in common is that they call for the preservation of freedom, liberal democracy, and the market economy that form the very identity of the Republic of Korea. The list below is in order of how they were presented by PenNMike. (1:45)
Shinui Hansoo / 신의한수 (https://youtu.be/TtpwQUF9Qps)
Mom’s Broadcast / Umma Bangsong / 엄마방송 (https://youtu.be/XVsEQSWbgy8)
Newstown TV / 뉴스타운TV (https://youtu.be/GckFBRO5uUw)
Media Watch TV / 미디어워치 TV (https://youtu.be/EuQLh2ahtPM)
JeongJeong DangDang TV / 정정당당tv (https://youtu.be/9qubisJpW7U)
GongGamDae TV / 공감대TV (https://youtu.be/0PNeSOP_3a0)
Youngwoo Bangsong / Livenews 영우방송 (https://youtu.be/pzsEcBOZXPU)
Amazon Aeguk Bangsong / 아마존 애국TV (https://youtu.be/DM_gFVnCX2s)
Ggatchi Bangsong / 까치방송 TV (https://youtu.be/TzH-JqDHWfc)
Gaemi Aeguk Bangsong / 개미애국방송 (https://youtu.be/1vPvdsCxHuA)
Hwang Jang-soo / 황장수의 뉴스브리핑 (https://youtu.be/ND9gMnnC-xc)
Go Seong-guk TV / 고성국TV (https://youtu.be/q9YfT-Yrals)
Cho Gapje TV / 조갑제TV (https://youtu.be/vAYNeynKX9c)
Kim Moon-soo TV / 김문수TV (https://youtu.be/bhRTpK9NYWg)
News Daily Best / 뉴스데일리베스트 (https://youtu.be/DjJDRA4P6hY)
TV Narae / TV나라애 (https://youtu.be/V1jJt9qhY9E)
Taepyeong / 태평 김일선 (https://youtu.be/u4_QdvNM7Rs)
Son Sang-dae TV / TV손상대 (https://youtu.be/x5-cZqCyLRE)
BJ Toll / 비제이 톨 (https://youtu.be/wd4dLTzciPI)
Gang Soo-san TV / 강수산TV (https://youtu.be/8KVysY08LvQ)
Idaeronneun Ahndoenda / 이대로는 안된다 (https://youtu.be/OqACXleUJAg)
Garo Sero Yeon-gu-so / 가로세로 연구소 (https://youtu.be/Fl4rqnawILc)
Yoon Seo-in / 윤서인 (https://youtu.be/OAwSSUYKmGc)
Nopparam / 높바람 (https://youtu.be/S4jVqEN4D98)
Shilgeompa / 실검파 (https://youtu.be/ZBQzf44mv-E)
Lee Eon-ju TV / 이언주TV (https://youtu.be/sDk9K37hm_k)
PennMike TV / 펜앤드마이크 정규재TV (https://youtu.be/GOhmoC7m3h8)
A variety of concerned citizens are in this space, including veteran journalists, politicians (current and former), researchers, professors, moms, youths, a cartoonist, and a hip hop singer. Here are some more on YouTube: (not a complete list, in alphabetical order)
Boy Bugs / 벌레소년 (https://youtu.be/xqYCWLRMRfI), hip hop singer
Cheong A Dae / 개돼지되지말자 (청아대) (https://youtu.be/ag1b2pecQe4)
Dr. Kim Jongmin (was deleted, then recently came back on again as White Bunny Tube / 흰토끼튜브 (https://youtu.be/Jb11nE1rB5U)
EQ Channel / 이큐채널 (https://youtu.be/FlxpP_qdTlY)
Fact TV / 팩트 TV (https://youtu.be/2O8D5hoVmw4)
Gaeun mgh / 가은mgh (https://youtu.be/CZgXyhxGBiQ)
GZSS TV / 안정권에 들다 (https://youtu.be/ZA5CH4V3lN4)
Kim Pil-jae TV / 김필재 TV (https://youtu.be/ClV2vy7kM0w)
KOREA RIGHT V / KOREA우파V (https://youtu.be/Op5J4nrTszw)
Neoara TV / 너알아TV (https://youtu.be/MwD-EdlzSJ4)
Shin In-gyun’s National Defense TV/ 신인균의국방TV (https://youtu.be/IMbsw6INk4A)
Steins Channel / 슈타인즈 채널 (https://youtu.be/UiEzmpDCxeM)
Sunday Seoul TV / #일요서울TV (https://youtu.be/ZpH_EAxyT2Y)
Syngman Rhee TV / 이승만TV (https://youtu.be/sDAUbtCgX20)
System News / 시스템뉴스 (Dr. Ji Man-won) (https://youtu.be/3a1C6O9CJ3w)
TV Jean d’Arc / TV쟌다르크 (https://youtu.be/EbB-i17Moe4)
Yoo’s / 유`s (https://youtu.be/jkKenqyIN2o)
Dr. Kim Jongmin (김정민) on Youtube with 80,000 followers was deleted along with his Google email and his webpage. (3:37) About an hour into his history program, his account just disappeared, he said. Undaunted, he started another account, White Bunny Tube (흰토끼튜브). He thinks China is involved because he criticizes China about 50% of the time.
Another Youtube program, Neoara TV (너알아TV), published on October 8, 2018 states that the revenue from the ads on Youtube stopped as there were no longer ads for her program as well as some others on YouTube. (2:00) This incident occurred following Moon Jae-in’s Fox News interview, when Moon labeled criticisms against him as “fake news” when asked about suppression of freedom of speech/press and the defectors.
Boy Bugs’ popular song “Regrets for PyeongChang Olympics” (평창 유감) with over 1.78 million views, is on YouTube, and it is heavily critical of Moon Jae-in, his administration, and his party. It is now on iTunes along with his other songs, but is not distributed domestically. The artist wrote “Domestic digital music store vendors refuse to distribute me at all, so [my songs] cannot be released [in South Korea]” in the comments section underneath the YouTube video. For a version with English subtitles, see here.
Cartoonist Yoon Seo-in (윤서인) (of Yoon Seo-in) and journalist Kim Se-ui (김세의) (co-founder of Garo Sero Yeon-gu-so / 가로세로 연구소 and a former MBC News reporter) were already targeted even prior to starting their separate YouTube channels. They were both sued for libel over a satire cartoon and were fined $6,150 each (7,000,000 won each) on October 26, 2018 by the Seoul Central District Court. The prosecutor originally asked for a 1-year jail sentence for each. For more details, see here. Kim Se-ui was one of about 80 journalists who faced discrimination and pressure because they did not participate in strikes while they were at MBC. For further information on how the Moon administration and Deuburreo Minju Party took over MBC, a major broadcaster, see here.
Dr. Ji Man-won (지만원) of System News was already sued by the Blue House Chief of Staff Im Jong-seok for libel because Ji called Im a Jusapa and a communist. For more details, see here. Numerous other organizations related to the Gwangju 5.18 incident have sued him multiple times throughout the decades as well as physically assaulting him for his research about the Gwangju incident, particularly about the topic of North Korean forces involvement in the Gwangju incident. The government is supposed to conduct an investigation into this and other 5.18 matters, and the National Assembly formed a committee, but decided to exclude Dr. Ji, who has conducted research in this field for decades, from the Committee.
Along with Dr. Ji Man-won, Newstown was also a party to the same lawsuit by Moon Jae-in. In fact, Newstown is dealing with 13 legal cases currently. One of them deals with the Blue House purchasing anthrax vaccine for the members of the Blue House in the summer of 2017, during the time of heightened tension from North Korea’s multiple nuclear and missile tests. The Blue House requested a quick purchase of the U.S.-made anthrax vaccine through the Ministry of Health and Welfare on June 6, 2017, and that fact was discovered by National Assemblyman Kim Sang-hoon, Liberty Korea Party, during an inspection. The media reported that the Blue House bought anthrax vaccine. Newstown, echoing the mainstream media reports, stated that the Blue House bought about 500 anthrax vaccines for themselves only; ordinary people are not allowed to buy anthrax vaccines. The Blue House replied that the vaccine will only be used as a treatment (after being exposed to the anthrax biological weapons), not used as a vaccine. The explanation does not match the reality; the anthrax vaccine must be administered multiple times in a series prior to exposure to a biological weapon using anthrax bacteria. Regardless of the facts, the Blue House “asked” the police to investigate Newstown.
Journalist Byun Hee-jai of Media Watch (미디어워치) has been in jail since May. He was sued for libel for exposing JTBC’s (a cable TV broadcaster) fake tablet PC story. The tablet PC story galvanized the public in 2016, leading to large candlelight demonstrations that resulted in Park Geun-hye’s impeachment. For more details on jailing Byun, see here. Byun’s trial is ongoing and the Seoul Central Court District Court Judge Park Joo-young (박주영) rejected his bail request, forcing him to go through trial from jail
In spite of efforts to suppress freedom of the press and freedom of speech, many of these concerned citizens have vowed to continue presenting information. They are brave and deserve the full support of the international community as well as their fellow South Koreans.
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Note: If you do not speak Korean, but would like to view some of these YouTube channels to get a sense of what kinds of topics these authors are covering,
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