difficult to ascertain whether information violates any right or where it
is anticipated that there will probably be a dispute between interested
parties – are problematic in a way that they provide room for information
and communications service provider to impose the temporary measure
based solely on claims made by a person alleging violation of his/her
right. In addition, although it is constitutionally required to practice
interest balancing for every conflict of interests between personality
rights and the right to freedom of expression in a specific and detailed
manner, the Provisions at Issue has already been engaged in balancing of
interests at the legislative stage, consequently precluding the possibility
for information and communications services provider to practice interest
balancing in individual cases of conflict and giving priority to the right
to personality over the freedom of expression for a certain period of
time. Such aspect strips the “timeliness” of expression – the desire to
timely express when discussion on a particular case has grown in size –
which results in a grave restriction on the freedom of expression and
neglects the constitutional call for a balance in harmoniously guaranteeing
the personality rights and the freedom of expression. Therefore, the
Provisions at Issue violate the principle of minimum intrusion.
Meanwhile, the public interest the Provisions at Issue aim to achieve
is to protect individual’s personality rights by preventing the transmission
of information that has a possibility or probability to infringe on one’s
rights, not information with a clear and present risk of infringing on
one’s rights. On the other hand, the private interest limited by the
Provisions at Issue is a timely expression of one’s idea or opinion on
the internet. As it cannot be predicated that the former interest is
absolutely superior to the latter interest, the Provisions at Issue do not
pass the balance of interest test as well.
As such, the Provisions at Issue violate the principle of minimum
restriction and infringe on the freedom of expression, and thus, is against
the Constitution.
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