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 ordered stricter crackdowns on banners containing hate speech, instructing the creation of guidelines for enforcement. President Lee also noted that the current administration is unlikely to require a large number of personnel for protest control and called for a review of reallocating staff to investigation and public safety roles.
At a Ministry of the Interior and Safety (including the National Police Agency and National Fire Agency) work briefing held at the Sejong Convention Center on the 17th, President Lee stated, "(Hate speech banners) exploit administrative loopholes to bring shame to society," adding, "They provoke unnecessary conflict and represent an abuse of authority and rights."
When Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Hojoong reported that "amending the Outdoor Advertising Act and the Political Parties Act is necessary to block banners with hate speech, but there are limitations as the bills have not yet passed," President Lee responded, "Even before the laws are passed, it is right to establish guidelines and enforce them. Stating this position will reassure local governments and allow them to enforce the rules with confidence."
He also ordered a reduction in police personnel assigned to protest and demonstration response, and an increase in staff responsible for public safety and civil affairs. Regarding the deployment of protest response personnel, President Lee said, "There is no need to exhaust too many resources on protest control," and added, "Shouldn't we increase the number of personnel dedicated to investigations and public safety?"
President Lee then asked, "How large was the mobile police unit during the Moon Jaein administration? I understand that additional response organizations began to be created during former President Yoon Sukyeol's term. How many personnel are currently assigned to protest response?" When informed that "the number was maintained at around 3,000, but has been gradually reduced to about 1,000," President Lee remarked, "The number of protest participants is said to be continuously declining. It seems personnel deployment should be managed carefully."
President Lee reiterated, "There does not seem to be a need to maintain such a large standby force for protest control," emphasizing once again the need to expand investigative staff to handle on-site patrols and respond to increasingly complex crimes.
"Macro Tools and Rank Manipulation Are Obstruction of Work, Not Defamation... Must Be Checked"
President Lee also instructed the police to inspect and investigate suspicions of online opinion manipulation. He stated, "Rank manipulation or the use of macros to influence public opinion constitutes a very serious criminal act. It needs to be checked."
President Lee noted, "Obvious fake news is rampant on platforms like YouTube, news article comments, and online communities," adding that "there appear to be cases not only of individual impulsive acts but also of systematic and organized dissemination with intent." He specifically mentioned patterns such as "only two or three specific articles on a particular portal receiving concentrated supportive comments," and said, "It is visually apparent enough to suspect the use of macros or mechanical means."
He also pointed out that such online opinion manipulation could constitute obstruction of work. President Lee stated, "If approached 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 work." Regarding the response of portal sites, he commented, "Sometimes it seems they are deliberately neglecting the issue for business reasons."
In response, Yoo Jaesung, Acting Commissioner General of the National Police Agency, said, "I have not received reports of investigations into specific recent cases, but investigations are being conducted with such aspects in mind. If evidence emerges of systematic activity, we will actively apply charges such as obstruction of work."
Meanwhile, President Lee emphasized on this day, "The police have effectively responded to transnational crimes, resulting in a significant reduction in voice phishing damage," and added, "Depending on your actions, the public's safety and quality of life are determined."
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