O Gwang-rok, Gwangju Seo-gu Council Member, "Need for Proper Management of Indiscriminate Party Banners"

Published 20 Jul.2023 10:54(KST)

Recently, concerns about illegal advertisements and indiscriminate political party banners have been rising, along with calls to establish a proper banner culture.

O Gwang-rok, Gwangju Seo-gu Council Member, "Need for Proper Management of Indiscriminate Party Banners"

On the 20th, Oh Gwang-rok, a member of the Gwangju Metropolitan City Seo-gu Council, announced through a 5-minute free speech during the 313th extraordinary session the need to "address the indiscriminate political party banners that threaten citizens' safety."

Following the amendment of the Outdoor Advertising Act in December last year, political party banners can be posted for 15 days if they display the party name, contact information, company contact details, and display period.

Councilor Oh expressed concern, stating, "Since the law was amended, political party banners have been indiscriminately attached throughout the city center. This has led to an increase in complaints and threatens citizens' safety," and urged for maintenance through joint inspections of illegal advertisements currently being conducted by Gwangju City and its five autonomous districts.

In just six months, 908 political party banners have been maintained in Seo-gu alone, and the number of complaints filed through the National Sinmungo (Civil Petition Portal) has reached 87.

Safety accidents have also occurred, such as people getting injured by low-hung banner strings or streetlights falling due to indiscriminately installed banners.

To prevent these issues, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has prepared and is implementing guidelines.

Councilor Oh stated, "Although the Ministry of the Interior and Safety is enforcing guidelines for political party banners, upon visiting the field, I found many banners flagrantly violating these rules. I ask the relevant officials to fairly enforce regulations so that indiscriminate political party banners can be properly maintained through this joint inspection."

He added, "We council members, who must prioritize citizens' safety, should also strive to establish a proper banner culture within our affiliated political parties."