[Clean Election] Apartment Wrapped in Banners? ... 100m Wide Promotional Material

Attached in areas with high foot traffic for each party
Almost no banner promotion in advanced countries
"Encourage online election campaigns, strengthen regulations needed"

Ahead of the April 10 general election, large promotional materials were installed at election offices, and candidates' banners were simultaneously hung on major streets. Each political party placed banners in areas with high foot traffic, causing citizens to often frown. There are even calls to eliminate election banners during the campaign season, similar to advanced countries.

Election campaign office exterior banners and street banners of the candidates for the April 10 general election are displayed. [Image source=Captured from each candidate's SNS]

On the afternoon of the 2nd, Kim (33), whom we met in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, said, "It seems like there are fewer banners than before," but emphasized, "The environmental issues are serious, so it would be better to get rid of them altogether." Yoo (29) said, "Nowadays, even adults freely use the internet and social networking services (SNS), so I wonder if banners are really necessary."

According to the Public Official Election Act, banner regulations are divided into election campaign organization banners and street banners. Banners on the exterior walls of election offices are allowed as long as they do not extend beyond the building or fence, and there is no separate size limit. For street banners, they can be posted up to twice the number of towns, townships, and neighborhoods within the electoral district. The material of the banners must be made of cloth, and the size must be within 10㎡. They must not cover other candidates' banners, traffic signals, or safety signs, nor be installed across roads.

In fact, an independent candidate's election office in Mokpo-si, Jeollanam-do, displayed the largest banner in the country, measuring 10 meters high and 100 meters long. It wrapped around an apartment building and included major pledges such as the opening of the Mokpo metropolitan era, construction of high-speed roads for land, sea, and air in Mokpo, and the prompt promotion of the West Coast Maintenance Office project of the Coast Guard. A candidate from an opposition party running in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, installed a banner that spread widely from left to right, unlike before. Since the Public Official Election Act only regulates area, the vertical length was reduced and the horizontal length was extended. A representative from the National Election Commission explained, "Street banners have a size limit of within 10㎡. As long as they do not exceed that, they do not violate the law."

In advanced countries such as the United States and Europe, street banners or posters are almost nonexistent. Especially in European countries, there is a perception that they spoil the urban landscape and cause environmental pollution. Therefore, unlike in Korea, there are no regulations limiting the posting period, size, or quantity of banners.

On the contrary, the absence of detailed legal provisions has allowed election culture to develop more effectively and in diverse forms. In the United States, campaign workers directly inform voters about candidates, and in Germany, promotional items such as pens or candies with party logos are distributed. Recently, online election campaigns have become the global standard.

On the other hand, in Korea, banners are used as a major election promotional tool. According to the National Assembly Research Service's report "Status and Improvement Measures of Party Banners," discarded banners from the last five elections amounted to 13,985 tons, with a recycling rate of only 30.2%. Specifically, about 9,220 tons were generated in the 2018 7th local elections, 1,739 tons in the 2020 21st general election, 357 tons in the 2021 by-elections, 1,110 tons in the 2022 presidential election, and about 1,557 tons in the 2022 8th local elections.

Professor Lee Jun-han of the Department of Political Science and Diplomacy at Incheon National University pointed out, "The method of hanging banners during elections is not universal worldwide," adding, "It causes resource waste and pollution, and since they cluster in areas with high foot traffic, they spoil the urban landscape." He continued, "There is a need to guide people online through SNS without hanging street banners," and suggested, "Strengthening regulations to eliminate banner promotion methods legislatively seems appropriate."