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Gwangju City News
MONTHLY NEWS
Reprinted with permission from Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall Photographs courtesy of Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall
Mayor Lee (center) at the launching of the Uihyang City Gwangju legal support group.
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
April 2020
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Gwangju Launches Legal Support Group to Protect Citizens
ihyang City Gwangju, a legal support group, set up to protect citizens who have been victimized by “fake news” and the spread of false facts, began its operations on March 16. Gwangju City held an invitational ceremony in the business room of city hall, at which Mayor Lee Yong-seop gave a letter of recommendation to six lawyers appointed as Uiwang City Gwangju legal support members. The support group provides legal services such as legal rights counseling and litigation representation for citizens who have suffered rights infringements or psychological distress from the dissemination of false facts through SNS, fake news, and defamation. Gwangju City is the first nationwide metropolitan government to implement such a system for citizens who have been unable to exercise their legal rights due to financial difficulties despite suffering mental and material damages due to fake news.
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The six appointed legal aids are local lawyers who are active in the region and are responsible for investigating the requirements and facts of claims for damages received during their two-year terms: one-to-one counseling, litigation representation, and criminal relief, as well as performing other necessary services. Any citizen who has been adversely affected by social media may apply for counseling and legal assistance at Uihyang City Gwangju (phone: 062-613-2774), and if the claim is selected by the Civil Rights Commission after screening, the claimant can receive legal assistance through consultation and investigation. At the ceremony, Mayor Lee Yong-seop stated, “Our Gwangju is historically inclined to justice, but in many cases, innocent citizens suffer from unjust events happening in everyday life. We will once again take the lead in safeguarding justice in the human-rights city of Gwangju by launching Uihyang City Gwangju to deal with fake news more quickly and protect the human rights of citizens who have been alienated from the legal network.”
3/27/2020 2:42:37 PM
