Korea Herald: #MeToo Movement Rejects South Korea’s Defamation Law

Uncivil behavior flourishes when governments impose defamation laws that protect reputations over public declarations of truth. The global “MeToo movement underscores the problems with South Korea’s defamation law, reports Claire Lee for the Korea Herald. “Women’s activists and some lawmakers criticized the defamation law as one of the biggest challenges that sexual violence victims here face,” Lee writes. “For example, a victim of sexual harassment may be punished for publicly speaking against the perpetrator -- even if he or she had been harassed -- if the perpetrator sues or counter-sues the victim for defamation, meaning ruining his or her social reputation.” The law also challenges whistleblowers who try to bring attention to corruption. The punishment for defamation in South Korea, even if the claims can be proven true, can be up to two years in jail and 5 million won, or $4600. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has criticized the law, and President Moon Jae-in supports the #MeToo movement and encouraged agencies to pursue investigations. – YaleGlobal