President Lee: "Fake news is an act of rebellion... We need a much stronger response"

[The Financial News] President Lee Jae-myung on the 6th sharply criticized the spread of false information amid the Middle East war and called for stronger, preemptive action at the government level.
At the joint meeting of the State Council of South Korea and the Emergency Economic Review Meeting held that day at Cheong Wa Dae, President Lee said, "The Republic of Korea (South Korea) is in a wartime situation due to the Middle East war," adding, "Deliberately spreading fake news that disrupts state affairs is no different from an act of rebellion."
In particular, President Lee pointed out, "What is worse is that even responsible politicians are spreading fake news or amplifying their arguments based on that fake news."
President Lee compared the impact of fake news to tactics used to sow confusion in wartime. He stated, "Fake news is a tactic used by the enemy during war," and continued, "When you want to disrupt the opposing side, the most effective method is to spread fake news and create chaos." He stressed, "This is on a completely different level from something done as a prank."
He also called for stronger government countermeasures. President Lee said, "We need a much stronger response," and instructed, "If necessary, we should create a team and establish a system to preemptively screen such content."

west@fnnews.com Reporter Seong Seok-woo Reporter