PPP, Reform Party leaders sponsor bill to verify online users' nationalities ahead of elections
Published: 07 Feb. 2026, 14:37
![Lee Jun-seok, left, leader of the minor conservative Reform Party, speaks with conservative People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok at his protest site in the National Assembly Rotunda Hall in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 21, as Jang marks one week of a hunger strike. [NEWS1]](https://koreaseafood.online/data/photo/2026/02/07/a2d2f09d-0960-4b94-b047-1d8a5e0ff61a.jpg)
Lee Jun-seok, left, leader of the minor conservative Reform Party, speaks with conservative People Power Party leader Jang Dong-hyeok at his protest site in the National Assembly Rotunda Hall in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Jan. 21, as Jang marks one week of a hunger strike. [NEWS1]
Conservative People Power Party (PPP) leader Jang Dong-hyeok and minor conservative Reform Party leader Lee Jun-seok jointly sponsored a bill on Friday, ahead of the June 3 local elections, aimed at preventing foreign nationals from distorting public opinion.
The proposed amendment to the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection would require information and communications service providers to verify the nationality of account users during election periods and to block foreign nationals who lack voting rights from posting comments on politics-related news stories.
The bill, introduced the previous day by Lee as the lead sponsor, lists Jang among its cosponsors, along with PPP chief of staff Park Jun-tae, PPP political affairs chief Kim Jang-kyom and lawmakers, including Reps. Na Kyung-won and Kim Jae-sub.
“Given the nature of online public opinion — where after-the-fact sanctions are difficult — a pre-emptive safeguard to protect digital sovereignty is urgently needed,” said Lee explaining the rationale for the proposal.
Jang, after being asked to support the bill, said he “deeply agrees” with the purpose of the legislation and signaled he would take part.
Last month, Jang argued that nationalities should be displayed on online comments, saying that foreign nationals’ comments were distorting public opinion.
This marks the second time the PPP and the Reform Party have cooperated on legislation since Jang took on the role of party leader, following a bill calling for a special counsel investigation into the Unification Church.
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY HAN YOUNG-HYE [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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