South Korea is enforcing a law that allows steep punitive damages against news outlets and social media influencers for spreading false information as journalist groups warned it could chill public discourse and invite censorship. The law that took effect Tuesday allows courts to award damages of up to five times the proven losses against news organizations and large social media channels, such as including YouTube creators, that circulate illegal, false or manipulated information to cause harm or generate profit. Distributors in addition could be fined $656,000 for repeating falsehoods.