Restricted information on the South Korean websites

 

 

South Korea, the world’s most wired country with the highest percentage of internet users in the world, has just got infamous title. Reporters without Borders (RSF) has listed South Korea as an Enemy of the Internet for its draconian censorship in March 2010. ( Lee, Y 2010)
The RSF announced that the South Korean government’s alleged censorship promotion and internet watchdog system gave South Korea this shameful title. So that South Korea is included in the lists of enemies of the Internet with North Korea. Congratulations.

“Draconian laws are creating too many specific restrictions on Web users by challenging their anonymity and promoting self-censorship,” read the report.( Lee, Y 2010) South Koreans are forbidden to access North Korean home pages on the World Wide Web. We meet all the people with internet access from all around world, but none of them from North Korea because we both alike have the world’s most draconian internet censorships.

Moreover, South Korea has such as diverse arrange of lists that have to be blocked. Before the 2002 World Cup, anti-military website was ordered to be closed down, and a number of gay and lesbian websites were blocked on based upon “Youth Protection Law”.

 International human rights community sent the letter of protest to the Korean government to revise the Youth Protection Law that designate homosexuality as harmful influence to youth. But the changes have never  happened yet. What about the matter of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or freedom of access to information?

The government’s strengthening of censorship and surveillance were motivated by its attempt to maintain order in a period of social and political unrest. However, the controls on the internet are limited and censorship is never intended to be 100% effective. The Korean government should keep in mind of that they also restrict Korean Youth to access to information on sexual health and sexual orientation.

Moreover, South Korean government’s fear about proliferating false information or homosexual contents on the internet alienates both enthusiastic Web users and potential investors. Their drastic rules for safe internet environment can restrain international websites to enter South Korean market for investment.

I thought that freedom of expressions, access to information and political and social participation are universal rights, but, maybe, it is just fantasy for some countries.

 References

Lee, Y (2010) “South Korea Listed in Internet Censorship Watchlist: Rights Watchdog”  available at http://saberfencer.blogspot.com/2010/03/s-korea-listed-in-internet-censorship.html  May 23 2010

북한의 인터넷-빌 게이츠의 사인을 받은 컴퓨터 천재들 (2010) available at  http://v.daum.net/link/7157272 May 23 2010

Tags: Enemy of the internet, Hosexuality, Internet censorship, South Korea