For dark mode users,
Hello, reader! Today, we are covering: Cultural Insight: Fake News in Korea Slang: 하더라 (hadeora) This Week's Recommendations The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브, 2013) Don't forget to leave your feedback below!
Fake News in Korea
Writer: Haram Lee Editor: Regine Armann, Aleya Sharif Editor-in-Chief: Fred McNulty Researcher: Heejin Ahn
On July 5th, a woman passed out in a Seoul subway train car on Line 3 (3호선). However, rumors spread online that bystanders, particularly men, were reluctant to help her as they were concerned that this may result in sexual harassment charges, given that the woman was wearing clothing that some might perceive as revealing. These rumors triggered a heated debate among Korean internet users. Some criticized men who do not help in such situations for being heartless, while others defended them, saying that helping an unknown woman might result in sexual crime charges, even if their intentions were pure. While the initial report was published by News1 (Korean link), a credible mainstream news outlet, the article only cited a single post from an online community without checking the facts. On July 7th, the real story was published: people - of all genders - reached out to the woman in question to help her, and doctors and nurses who were present at the scene provided first aid, which ended up saving the woman’s life. In hindsight, the unnecessary social upheaval and confusion triggered by the fake news report could have been avoided if the journalist had paid attention to the facts behind the story. Consequently, the reporter who initially published the false claims has been heavily criticized for failing to carry out their due diligence. Similar incidents revolving around fake news stories have been the topic of discussion in South Korea. Past Cases of Misleading News in Korea Case #1: “All-Rescued” from the Sewol Ferry Disaster
On April 16th, 2014, the Sewol Ferry (세월호) with 476 passengers on board sank off Jindo Island (진도), killing 304 people. At 11:05 AM, South Korean media reported that all high school sophomore students and teachers on board the Sewol Ferry had been rescued, based on claims made by the disaster relief team of Danwon High School (단원고등학교). However, this turned out to be false. At 2:00 PM, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters announced that 368 out of 477 passengers had been rescued, and this was thus reported by media outlets. However, these figures were later revealed to be inaccurate as well. This incident revealed that the government mishandled the information and did not acquire timely and credible data. From the media's point of view, the government’s claims were to be trusted and thus broadcasted without fact-checking. However, the media is responsible for “copying and pasting” information as well. According to Byun Sang-wook, a senior journalist at CBS Korea, “a journalist must question the validity of data. We tend to believe government data too easily. If unable to confirm, one must describe it as unconfirmed. The media also has a responsibility for spreading false information.” Case #2: Missing College Student at Banpo Han River Park As described in a previous KOMMON issue, a 22-year-old college student, Son Jung-min (손정민), went missing and was found dead at Banpo Han River Park (반포한강공원). Some people refused to believe official statements from the police and media and relied on their own research and even unverified YouTube channels that seemed to tell a different story. Some YouTube channels claimed the police’s statements were wrong and deceived the public by going as far as manipulating CCTV footage to frame Son’s friend, who turned out to be innocent. As a result of these unverified manipulated reports, some people took to protest the investigation and claimed it was a case of homicide, urging that his friend be charged with murder. Amid this surge in fake news, Son’s father came out saying he was confused and did not know who to trust anymore. Son’s case reminded many people of the seriousness of fake news and alerted the public of how dangerous such inaccurate stories can be. Why is Fake News so Prevalent in Korea? Breaking/Exclusive News Competition Internet news is popular in South Korea as in most countries around the world, and is mainly accessed through major internet portals such as Naver (네이버) and Daum (다음). Journalists post their articles on these popular platforms and their income heavily depends on the number of views their articles receive. Thus, many news agencies constantly compete for exclusive or breaking news that could catch the public’s attention and get their articles featured on the top banner of the websites. This competitive environment drives journalists to process the news in a hasty manner which sometimes results in inaccurate information. Thus, misinformation occurs from time to time regardless of the type of news agency. The popularity of YouTube and Social Media
South Korea shows the lowest level of trust in news sources
Young people in their 20s rely on YouTube more than other age groups and are therefore more exposed to fake news. Source: 가짜뉴스 기지, 일베에서 유튜브로…20대가 가장 많이 본다 In 2020, according to the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, South Korea reported a level of only 21% of “trust in the media”, the lowest among the 40 countries that were compared. Finland came out on top, while the United States ranked 31st place. The study also found that many people, especially the younger generation in their 20s, have turned to YouTube or social media for their news consumption, regardless of the credibility of such sources. However, most of them are unverified channels and accounts that often produce inaccurate information and distort the truth. Social Division Not everyone agrees with mainstream news channels and some do not trust them at all. The main reason behind this is that people favor certain news outlets over others and tend to rely only on the channels they personally trust. People also tend to rely on news channels that are in line with their political orientation. There are, for example, conservative - TV Chosun and MBN - and liberal - JTBC - media outlets that present differing views on the same political issues. While Korean mainstream media, including KBS, SBS, and MBC, are less polarizing, they are not trusted by many viewers who prefer to consume only news that matches their specific political stance. Press Freedom versus Fake News Prevention
South Korea is now a democratic country that protects freedom of expression (ranking 42nd on the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, higher than any other Asian country and even slightly higher than the United States), and government intervention in the media and control of journalists does, in principle, constitute a violation of the constitution. If a person was falsely portrayed by the media, they can file a lawsuit for libel or damage to their reputation. As journalists are therefore generally free to gather and publicize information, some tend to produce inaccurate content, even if that means they are later required to elaborate or correct their reporting. To prevent the spread of what is considered fake news, the current ruling party, the Democratic Party of Korea (더불어민주당), attempted to implement a Fake News Production Prevention Law (가짜뉴스유통방지법) in 2018. Earlier that year, the Anti-Fake News Task Team of the Democratic Party of Korea (더불어민주당 가짜뉴스 대책특별위원회) had visited Google Korea to urge them to delete 104 YouTube videos regarding a number of issues. However, Google Korea refused, stating that the contents that the government wanted to be deleted had not violated any of their community standards. When the DPK expressed their frustration during a press conference and announced to hold Google Korea legally responsible after passing the new law, the opposition party, formerly called the Liberty Korea Party (자유한국당), objected and stressed that such intervening in the press and civilian organizations to take control of public opinion for political purposes would be an act of violating principles of democracy. Due to the fierce protest of the opposition party, the bill did not pass the National Assembly. In October 2019, at a symposium called “Current Status of Korea’s Freedom of Expression” (한국 표현의 자유의 현주소) held by Open Net (오픈넷), a civilian organization, Daniel Mogster, a human rights officer at the UN Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights, expressed that it is not right to implement legal punishment and control on the press as such measures can be abused for wrong purposes. However, he also mentioned that although the independence of the press must be respected, that does not mean that they are given complete autonomy (자율권). Thus, there must be some regulations, implemented with legitimacy and according to the principle of proportionality (비례성 원칙). Efforts to Prevent Fake News: Fact-Check Institutions As fake news proves to be pervasive, calls for fact-checking have been increasing. Thus, major news agencies now provide fact-check services intended to help audiences to understand the news better with accurate information. Seoul National University (서울대학교), for example, has created a fact-checking website that analyzes the main headlines of news and allows visitors to check whether the information is true or false.
A fact-check gauge lets visitors know whether news stories are true or false Source: SNU FactCheck Increasing People’s Media Literacy The fact that fake news is pervasive and can cause widespread confusion and social division highlights the importance of increasing the general public’s media literacy. With myriads of news channels to choose from, people can easily fall for fake news and be swayed by unconfirmed reports. However, the need for media literacy education has not yet been widely recognized in Korea. Regarding other demographics, the low quality of educational content and undermanned classes make it difficult for vulnerable groups such as teenagers to learn the critical skills that are necessary to navigate the media. Media literacy courses are now part of elementary and middle school curriculums, and at the high school level, a new course called “language and media'' has been implemented, starting this year, with students now having the option to choose this subject for Korea Scholastic Aptitude Test (KSAT). Yet there is still much to improve. The Ministry of Education (Korean link) is aware of these problems, having recently been quoted as stating that the currently available media literacy education for students fails to meet their needs and prepare them for the environment they face. The Ministry further commented that improvements are necessary to develop a solid system of media literacy education for all ages and demographics.
Slang 하더라 (hadeora) a verb that means ‘it is said’ and used to express or describe information that one is not 100% sure of. A: 야, 유명한 연예인이 연애한다고 하더라. 대박! B: 그거 진짜뉴스야? A: Hey, a famous celebrity is dating… (they say) hadeora. Didn’t see that coming at all! B: Are you sure that's real news? This Week's Recommendations
The Terror Live (더 테러 라이브, 2013) "I will blow up the Han River Bridge. Now." National anchor Yoon Young-hwa, who is the host of a radio program receives a threatening call from an unidentified listener during a live broadcast. As soon as he hung up on what he assumed was a prank caller, the bridge exploded and collapsed. He tries to produce behind-the-scenes transactions with the news director on the condition of returning to the closing news, and exclusively broadcasts phone calls with the terrorist. Yoon then finds out that a bomb was implanted in his earphone, and receives a threat that if the terrorist’s conditions are not met, the bomb will explode in his ear on air. What is the terrorist's identity, and why did he choose anchor Yoon Young-hwa? Catch the rest on Netflix.
|
