President Yoon Suk Yeol is announcing directly the background of the digital rights charter at the Cabinet meeting on the 25th. [Photo by Lee Seung-hwan]

According to Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea,

South Korea has announced a set of basic principles and guidelines laying down digital standards as a proactive measure to take a leading role in the digital age.

This “digital rights charter,” released by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Information Communication on Monday, consist of six chapters and 28 articles, and is similar to a declaration outlining the fundamental direction of digital norms at the national level.

“The emergence of any new technology has almost always been accompanied by discussions about new norms and standards, and the country that takes the lead in these discussions thrives with its new technology and industry,” Yoon said during a cabinet meeting on the same day. “The Republic of Korea aims to take the lead in establishing new artificial intelligence (AI) and digital norms and in creating international organizations in this area.”

With the charter in place, the government will actively participate in discussions on digital norms initiated by international organizations such as the United Nations and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as those led by the United States and the European Union, based on the Digital Rights Charter.

While addressing the document’s five guiding principles ?freedom, fairness, safety, innovation, and solidarity?Yoon urged every government body to form AI and digital policies aligned with these principles.

The charter explicitly states that digital technologies and services should not pose threats to the safety of individuals and society, while also emphasizing the responsibility to avoid infringing on other people’s honor, rights, public morals, or ethics.

It also states the need to foster a healthy digital environment that can prevent the production and distribution of false, manipulative, illicit, or harmful information.

By Park In-hye, Na Hyun-joon and Chang Iou-chung

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Source: Pulse by Maeil Business News Korea (September 26, 2023)