About two-thirds of South Koreans are opposed to a proposed bill that would ban the recording of phone calls without consent, on the belief that such recordings can be used to protect themselves or for public good, such as whistleblowing, a survey showed.

A group of ruling People Power Party lawmakers, led by Rep. Yoon Sang-hyun, has proposed the bill to ban recording phone calls without the consent of all parties to the conversation.

Those who breach the law would 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 Aug. 26, 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.

By age, younger respondents tended 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. Support did not outweigh opposition in any age group. (Yonhap)