"Create Guidelines for 'Hate Speech Banners'... Reallocate Protest Suppression Personnel to Public Safety"

President Lee Issues Directives at Ministry of the Interior and Safety Briefing
"Hate Speech Banners Bring Shame to Society"
"No Need to Exhaust Excessive Resources on Protest Control"
"Macro Tools and Rank Manipulation Are Serious Crimes"

President Lee Jaemyung has called for stricter enforcement against banners containing hate speech, instructing the relevant authorities to create guidelines for regulation. President Lee also suggested that, under the current administration, there may not be a significant need for personnel dedicated to protest suppression, and he ordered a review of reallocating these resources to investigation and public safety duties.

Yonhap News

During a briefing by the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (including the National Police Agency and the National Fire Agency) held at the Sejong Convention Center on December 17, President Lee stated, “Hate speech banners exploit administrative loopholes and bring shame to society,” adding that they “foment unnecessary conflict and constitute an abuse of authority and rights.”

When Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong reported that, “To block hate speech banners, revisions to the Outdoor Advertising Act and the Political Parties Act are needed, but there are limitations as the bills have not yet passed,” President Lee responded, “Even before the laws are enacted, it is appropriate to create guidelines and enforce them. If you make your position clear, local governments will be able to regulate with confidence.”

President Lee also instructed the police to reduce the number of personnel assigned to handling rallies and demonstrations, and to increase staffing for public safety and investigative roles. Regarding the deployment of personnel for protests, President Lee said, “There is no need to exhaust so much capacity on protest suppression,” and emphasized, “We should increase the number of staff responsible for investigations and public safety.”

He then inquired, “How large was the riot police unit during the Moon Jaein administration? I understand that additional response units began to be formed under former President Yoon Sukyeol. How many personnel are currently assigned to protest response?” During the briefing, when a response was given that “the number was maintained at around 3,000, but has been gradually reduced to about 1,000,” President Lee remarked, “It is said that the number of protest participants continues to decline. We need to manage personnel deployment well.”

President Lee reiterated, “There is no need to maintain such a large standby force for protest suppression,” and repeatedly stressed the need to expand investigative personnel to respond to field security and increasingly complex crimes, unlike in the past.

"Macro Tools, Manipulating Rankings Are Obstruction of Business, Not Defamation... Must Be Checked"

Yonhap News Agency

President Lee also instructed the police to inspect and investigate suspicions of online opinion manipulation. He stated, “Manipulating rankings or using macro tools to distort public opinion is a very serious criminal act. It needs to be checked.”

President Lee pointed out that “clear fake news is rampant on platforms such as YouTube, article comments, and online communities,” and that, in addition to individual impulsive acts, “there appear to be cases of organized and systematic dissemination with intent.” He specifically mentioned, “For example, only two or three specific articles on a particular portal receive a concentrated number of supportive comments,” and said, “There is visible evidence suggesting the use of macros or mechanical means.”

He further indicated that such online opinion manipulation could constitute obstruction of business. President Lee stated, “If you approach this from the perspective of fake news, there may be debate over whether it constitutes defamation. However, using technology to manipulate portal rankings is not defamation, but obstruction of business.” Regarding the response of portals, he remarked, “Sometimes I wonder if they are deliberately neglecting the issue for business reasons.”

In response, Yoo Jaesung, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, stated, “I have not received reports of investigations into specific recent cases, but investigations are being conducted with such aspects in mind. If evidence of organized activity emerges, we will actively apply charges such as obstruction of business.”

Meanwhile, President Lee emphasized on the same day, “Police have responded well to transnational crimes, resulting in a significant reduction in voice phishing damage. The safety or insecurity of citizens' lives depends on your actions.”