Suppression of Free Speech of YouTubers Discussing the 5.18 Gwangju Uprising; Bill to Criminalize it with 7 Years Jail Introduced

2020-8-7, Tara O

On July 30, 2020, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC 방송통신심의위원회 or 방심회 for short ), South Korea’s internet censorship body, announced that Google Korea deleted 1 entire Youtube Channel (with all of its videos) and 28 videos from other YouTube channels for “distorting history” related to the Gwangju incident of May 1980 (In Korea, it is often referred to as “5.18”).  KCSC, led by Kang Sang-hyun (강상현), held a communication review subcommittee on July 9, 2020 and decided to make “corrective requests” (block access) to Google Korea for 29 of these videos.

The deleted YouTube channel is “Ji Man Won TV” run by Dr. Ji Man-won (지만원), a retired Republic of Korea Army colonel and an author, who researched the Gwangju uprising for nearly two decades.  He is also the one who Im Jong-seok (the former Chief of Staff and now Presidential Special Envoy) sued for referring to Im as a communist and Jusapa (Juche ideology/”KimIlSungism” adherent).

The deleted videos included North Korean special forces involvement in the Gwangju uprising, and KCSC deemed that such content defames 5∙18 Meritorious Persons and others.  Raising the involvement of North Korean special forces is especially sensitive for the Moon administration as well as the Kim Dae-jung Peace Center. 

The Kim Dae-jung Peace Center sued an author and a defector from North Korea Lee Ju-seong (이주성) for libel for writing about North Korean special forces in his book Purple Lake (보랏빛호수).  The prosecutors took him to a criminal court and asked the judge for 1 year imprisonment for Lee.  On May 3, 2020, the judge sentenced him to 3 years of probation in lieu of 6 months imprisonment.  North Korea Freedom Coalition has sent a letter to President Moon Jae-in on April 29, 2020 expressing concern for Lee Ju-seong and the suppression of freedom of speech and the press in South Korea.

The libel lawsuits and libel criminal charges have also been filed against Dr. Ji Man-won and Newstown multiple times as well.  In one of the cases, both Dr. Ji and Newstown were ordered to pay ₩82,000,000 (~$72,440) and Dr. Ji was ordered to pay additional ₩95,000,000 (~$84,000) in December 2018.  On February 13, 2020, the court combined 5 Gwangju-related cases into one session.  The 5.18 organizations demanded Ji be jailed (0:20), while his supporters stated he is a patriot. (0:32)

In February 2019, three national assembly representatives–Lee Jong-myeong (이종명), Kim Jin-tae (김진태), and Kim Soon-rye (김순례) were punished by their party (then Liberty Korea Party) for sponsoring or speaking at a public hearing on the issue of North Korean involvement in the Gwangju uprising, including the party’s own “ethics” committee recommending expelling Lee from the party.

The 5.18 Commemoration Foundation Institute (5.18 기념제단연구소) also actively monitors YouTube and provided a briefing of YouTube videos that it deemed “distort 5.18.”

The above figure reads “2019 YouTube 5.18 History Distortion Monitoring Analysis Report” by the 5.18 Commemoration Foundation Institute.  It shows they monitored videos from 2003-2019 and it lists the YouTube channels and videos to block.

The list above shows:

1. SesameTube (참깨방송)
2. Ji Man-won TV (지만원TV)
3. Cho Gap-je TV (조갑제TV)
4. Newstown TV (뉴스타운TV)
5. Current Affairs Comments LA (시사논평LA)
6. Lightening Market (번개시장)
7. Shin-ui Hansoo (신의한수)
8. Korean History
9. Freedom News (프리덤뉴스)
10. Happy Man Big Hit Soju Youth (해피맨대박소주청년)
11. 21st Century Mission Film
12. LPN Girl Power News (LPN로걸파워뉴스)
13. Let’s Be Coincidental TV (우연합시다TV)
14. Teacher Lee TV (이선생TV)
15. Jong Un Kill (정은킬)
16. PenN Mike Jeong Kyu-jae TV(팬앤드마이쿠 정규재TV)

It also has numerous other channels, such as:  Jina TV, GZSS TV, 518 High School Student, Lee Bong-kyu TV, Moon Gap-sik’s Real TV, Seong Jae-joon TV, Sohn Sang-dae TV, JinJaYu TV, etc.

Newstown, #4 on the list above was completely demonetized on YouTube–no advertisement fees, no membership fees, and no Super Chats. (2:48)  (With Super Chats, the viewers can send money right away during a live session, which is visible on the screen as a dollar sign.)  Newstown has to pay rent, staff salaries, and other expenses.  Numerous other YouTubers, including Shin-ui Hansoo, have increasingly stated that their videos have been demonetized.  Although this phenomenon began much earlier, it was limited to no earnings from advertisements; it has expanded to membership fees and Super chats.  Causing this kind of financial hardship is also a form of censorship, because it denies funding for their operations.

The efforts to censor YouTube contents began earlier under the Moon administration.  See here, here, and here.   On October 10, 2018, Deobureo Minjoo Party (Democratic Party of Korea) formed a comprehensive Special Committee on Measures Against Fake News and a reporting hotline to actively monitor what it deemed “fake news.”  On October 15, the Committee Chair Park Kwang-on (박광온) personally visited Google Korea to deliver a list of 104 Youtube videos to be removed.

Google Korea stated that it will follow Google’s policies.  When Google Korea said the videos did not violate Google policies, Park threatened it with punishment.  On October 29, Park, as the head of yet another committee–Science, ICT (Internet Communications Technologies), Broadcasting, and Communication Commission Inspection–summoned John Lee, the head of Google Korea, to the National Assembly to question him about Google’s alleged tax evasion, and again bringing up YouTube’s alleged fake videos.

In addition to the videos blocked in July 2020, KCSC also was able to get Google Korea to remove 85 YouTube videos in June 2020, with the apparent application of coercion.  KCSC stated, “We drew out Google’s cooperation to delete 85 videos that distorted the 5.18 democratization movement last month as well…The current action (removing videos/blocking access to a YouTube channel) is due to our continued efforts for Google to maintain its changed policy of a forward-looking policy.”

KCSC plans to enlarge the scope of its censorship beyond the border of South Korea.  KCSC stated that it will “strengthen the cooperative relationship with foreign operators that prevent the distribution of illegal and harmful information overseas through the international cooperation inspection team.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party of Korea is doing its part to suppress freedom of speech and the press at the 21st National Assembly.  On June 16, 2020, the Democratic Party of Korea released a draft amendment to the Special Law on the 5.18 Democratization Movement at a hearing at the National Assembly Hall.  It was introduced by National Assemblyman Lee Hyung-seok (이형석). The provision added the “ban on dissemination of false facts,” and if disseminated, it imposes 7 years imprisonment or a ₩70,000,000 (~$60,000) fine. The Democratic Party plans to adopt the bill as the party platform.  The latest bill suppresses free speech even more than the version introduced at the 20th National Assembly–the previous amendment, which was not passed, contained immunity provisions for the purpose of art, academic studies, research, theories, and reporting, but the current version does not make exceptions.

Additionally, Min Hyung-bae (민형배), Democratic Party of Korea, representing Gwangju, introduced a bill to increase benefits for Gwangju 5.18 related people and organizations by expanding the definition of Meritorious Persons to increase the number of 5.18 beneficiaries, discard the deadlines to apply for Meritorious Person status, and increase government funding for 5.18 related organizations, which conduct various activities, including producing textbooks and history education.  For a list of the generous benefits for 5.18 Meritorious Persons, see here. 

The Moon administration and his party continue to suppress freedom of speech and freedom of the press using the lawmaking body and the courts, especially regarding the 5.18 Gwangju uprising.