Actually Misinterpreting, Inciting Hatred... Distasteful Transformed Rallies and Demonstrations

"Arrest and punish criminal executives" "Abusive and neglectful ××" "Big corporation × acting like ×× district office"

I read a banner in front of a domestic large corporation's office building. Defamatory banners or printed materials containing specific names or photos openly circulate at rallies or protests. Expressions or slogans that incite hatred emerge at rallies and protests and then spread unfiltered through YouTube and various social networking services (SNS). There are even banners written in English targeting foreign visitors from overseas clients.

Banner displayed in front of the headquarters of a large corporation

Freedom of expression, including rallies and protests, should be respected, but there are calls for measures to prevent expressions that can be punished for hate speech or defamation. Some legislative amendments have been proposed in the political sphere, but there has been little discussion or progress. The frequent appearance of hateful expressions during protests targeting large corporations is because provocative content is seen as effective. Large corporations inevitably are sensitive to public opinion and reputation management. A corporate official who requested anonymity said, "Although the issues have already been judged right or wrong, there are many cases where companies are stubbornly forced to take responsibility based on false claims."

When false information, insults, or defamatory content at protest sites become excessive, legal action is sometimes taken, but this is not a fundamental solution. Even if the court rules in favor of the company, it cannot stop the protest itself. Protesters slightly modify the banned expressions and create new banners. This is the case with Mr. A, who has been protesting for over 10 years in front of Hyundai Motor Group headquarters. The court ruled to prohibit the phrases and funeral songs he used at the rally site. Mr. A put up banners with partially revised phrases and found replacement songs for the banned funeral songs to play on speakers.

Banner in front of the headquarters of a large corporation

Rallies and protests are among the words symbolizing democracy. However, nowadays, there are more protests for oneself or one's interest groups rather than protests raising voices under the premise of sacrificing oneself for the weak. The methods have diversified, including one-person protests, candlelight protests, online rallies, and internet live broadcasts. In this changed environment, excessive abusive language and defamatory slogans run rampant and spread again through the internet.

In the political sphere, several amendment bills have been proposed to partially restrict excessive rally and protest methods or regulate hate speech. These include prohibiting acts that infringe on personality rights such as defamation or insult, disturb private peace, incite violent acts promoting hatred, and repeatedly play sounds or videos that cause fear or anxiety. Many amendment bills have been proposed, led by both the ruling party and opposition parties such as the Democratic Party, but they remain dormant in the National Assembly.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.