Political Party Banners With Hate Speech and Slander Face Intensified Crackdown Through Year-End... Removal if Not Corrected Within 24 Hours

[Financial News] Crackdown on political party banners containing expressions of hate or slander, or violating installation rules, will be stepped up. The government said it would forcibly remove illegal political party banners if they are not brought into compliance within 24 hours, and impose fines under relevant laws.
The Ministry of the Interior and Safety said on the 15th that it had drawn up an “Implementation Plan to Strengthen Measures on Political Party Banners Containing Expressions of Hate and Slander” and would conduct intensive inspections nationwide from the 23rd through year-end.
The measure follows the recent emergence of so-called “modified banners” that indirectly express content infringing on others’ rights or reputations, as well as repeated cases of violations involving the number of banners installed and the period they are displayed.
First, installation requirements will be strictly enforced regardless of the banners’ content. Under current rules, each political party may install no more than two banners in each eup, myeon or dong, and banners may not be displayed for more than 15 days. Installation is also prohibited in child protection zones.
Those who violate these requirements will be ordered to voluntarily bring the banners into compliance within 24 hours; if they fail to do so, the city, county or district with jurisdiction will remove them immediately.
Enforcement will also be stepped up for banners that could infringe on others’ rights or reputations through hate or slander. If complaints are filed by affected parties or a large number of people, authorities will review whether the banners are illegal and request that they be corrected within 24 hours. If the request is not followed, the banners will be removed and temporarily stored.
Even in the absence of complaints, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety’s Outdoor Advertising Policy Committee will deliberate on banners that are highly controversial or whose legality local governments find difficult to determine, and decide how to handle them. The results will be shared with local governments nationwide to reduce differences in enforcement standards from one region to another.
Complaints about political party banners have declined from last year but have recently begun to rise again. From January to September this year, 69,643 political party banners were removed or otherwise addressed, down 6% from 73,897 during the same period last year. Related complaints also fell 49%, from 27,698 to 14,040. However, the monthly number of banners addressed rose by about 59%, from 4,834 in August to 7,694 in September. Complaints over the same period also increased, from 1,022 to 1,361.
The government will establish a rapid-response cleanup system involving local governments and private organizations so illegal banners can be removed on weekends, public holidays and at night as well. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety plans to form an on-site response task force with the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center and the Korea Outdoor Advertising Association’s central office, among others, to inspect areas where banners are repeatedly put up.
Officials who face criminal complaints or accusations during banner removals will also receive legal support, including exemption under the proactive administration policy and the appointment of legal representatives. Once the intensive inspections are over, the government plans to disclose the cleanup results and the status of violations and enforcement actions.
Separately from enforcement, the government will pursue amendments to the Outdoor Advertisements Act and the Political Parties Act, which are pending before the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea. The proposed amendments would broaden the scope of prohibited discriminatory expressions and restrict baseless insults and slander, as well as violent expressions. They also include a plan to establish a committee under the National Election Commission (NEC) to review the content of political party banners.
Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung said, “Political parties’ freedom to engage in political activities must be respected, but banners that violate laws and regulations, threaten public safety, or infringe on the human rights and reputations of others can never be allowed.”

[email protected] Lee Bomi Reporter