(123rf)
About two-thirds of South Koreans are opposed to a proposed bill that bans the recording of phone calls without consent because such recordings can be used to protect themselves or for public good, such as whistleblowing, a survey showed Monday.
A group of ruling People Power Party lawmakers, led by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, has proposed the bill that bans phone recordings without the consent of everyone taking part in the conversation. Those who breach the law can face up to 10 years in prison, according to the proposal.
In the nationwide poll of 503 respondents aged over 18 conducted by Realmeter on Friday, 64.1 percent said they were against the bill because phone recordings can be used to protect individuals in unjust situations or to report irregularities in whistleblowing cases.
A total of 23.6 percent said they are in support of the bill as call recordings may be abused for blackmailing and infringe upon individuals' privacy. Some 12.3 percent said they were undecided on the issue.
By age, younger respondents tend to be more opposed to the bill. Among those aged 18 to 29, 80.7 percent said they were against the bill, while the figure dropped to 50.7 percent among respondents in their 60s.
By political leaning, more than 70 percent of those who identified themselves as liberal or neutral were against the bill, while the figure stood at 55.3 percent for conservatives.
The poll has a margin of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points at a 95 percent confidence level. (Yonhap)
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