Suwon City Establishes Criteria for Determining Human Rights Violations in Banner Expressions

Suwon City in Gyeonggi Province has established criteria for determining human rights violations in banner expressions.

On January 21, Suwon City announced that it had created a "Practical Manual for Determining Human Rights Violation Expressions," which systematizes on-site judgment standards, following the announcement of guidelines for managing hate and defamatory banners in December of last year in accordance with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety's guidelines.

This manual was developed with a focus on reducing ambiguity in determining human rights violations during the management and enforcement of banners, as well as unifying the standards among staff to enhance administrative consistency and credibility.

While maintaining its existing management approach, Suwon City organized standard judgment criteria that can be immediately applied in the field by having the Urban Design Division and Human Rights Officer collaborate, aiming to apply more objective and common standards.

Instead of a uniform decision-making process for enforcement, a procedure-based judgment structure was established to allow for prior review of potential human rights violations and to supplement the decision-making process as needed.

Suwon City Hall Exterior View

To determine whether banner messages may violate human rights, the manual presents comprehensive criteria, including: whether the expression is based on protected characteristics such as race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, or nationality; whether it contains elements of insult, belittlement, or stigma; the possibility of justifying or promoting discrimination or exclusion; whether it generalizes a specific group as a risk factor; and the context and social impact of exposure in public spaces.

Suwon City plans to apply this manual across all aspects of banner management and enforcement, aiming to respond more precisely to hate and discriminatory expressions in public spaces and to continuously create an urban environment where citizens' human rights are respected.

A Suwon City official stated, "Since banners are a representative form of public expression that citizens encounter in their daily lives, it is important to balance freedom of expression and human rights protection," adding, "By establishing fair and consistent administrative standards, we will strengthen our management system to prevent the spread of hate and discriminatory expressions in the public domain."