South Korea approves the use of Twitter for election campaigns

South Korea’s Constitutional Court has lifted the ban on the use of Twitter and other social networking sites, during election campaigns. The government candidates were previously not allowed to distribute promotional publications and other materials for 180 days prior to voting, and the national election watchdog had classified Twitter postings related to elections or candidates as one of the banned materials. The court ruling now allows candidates to reach out to voters via online and mobile media before the elections. According to the Yonhap News, the move comes after a group of opposition lawmakers and civic activists filed a petition with the court in March last year, stating that the regulation curbs the candidate’s freedom of expression. On Thursday, the court reversed National Election Commission’s ban on use of Twitter for campaigning. “The Internet is a medium that offers easy access to people for free or with very low cost. Therefore, it is considered as a political sphere that can drastically cut campaign costs. The nature of the medium fits into the election law that seeks fair opportunity, transparency and low-cost campaigns,” the court said in the ruling. It also pointed out that the current election monitoring system and preliminary measures to prevent spreading false information are already in place to prevent possible side effects from online campaigns. South Koreans are highly active on social networking platforms, and the country has a huge population of smartphone users. Twitter, is therefore, the best medium for politicians to reach out to the voters in the country.