Republic of Korea: Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection (Act No. 21305) enters into force establishing governance bodies and introducing increased fines

On 6 July 2026, the Act on Partial Amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, etc. (Act No. 21305) enters into force. The Act restructures the regulatory framework by expanding the Defamation Dispute Mediation Department into a broader Dispute Mediation Department, increasing its membership to 9–20 experts to handle content-related disputes. It also authorises the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) to establish an Information and Communications Service Transparency Center, tasked with supervising large-scale service providers and supporting fact-checking activities. Under the amended provisions, the KCC may impose fines of up to KRW 1 billion on platforms that repeatedly distribute illegal or manipulated information following a final court ruling (Article 44-24). Article 70 raises the maximum penalty for individuals committing defamation through false information from KRW 50 million to KRW 70 million and introduces provisions allowing the confiscation of profits derived from such violations.