Council of Governors United in Calling for the Abolition of the Outdoor Advertising Act's 'Special Privilege Clause for Political Banners'

The Korea Association of Provincial Governors adopted a joint resolution by 17 provincial governors to abolish the provisions related to political party banners in the 'Outdoor Advertising Act.'

Through the joint resolution on the 27th, the Association stated, "The amended 'Outdoor Advertising Act' (December last year) newly established provisions allowing unlimited political party banners without restrictions on location and quantity, causing a proliferation of political party banners, threatening pedestrian safety nationwide, and seriously infringing on the public's right to enjoy a pleasant living environment." They urged, "Abolish the 'provisions related to political party banners' that grant special privileges to political party banners, infringe on citizens' rights to equality and environmental rights, and promote political disgust."

The Association resolved that ▲ the government should recognize that the special privilege provisions for political party banners in the 'Outdoor Advertising Act' clearly violate the Constitution of the Republic of Korea and the Public Official Election Act and promptly repeal the relevant provisions ▲ until the provisions related to political party banners are abolished, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety should strictly regulate political party banners through enforcement ordinances ▲ provincial governors should take measures such as restricting posting locations, periods, and quantities by referring to Incheon City's ordinance until the provisions related to political party banners are abolished ▲ provincial governors, as heads of local governments, should actively cooperate to promptly improve matters that restrict citizens' rights to happiness and safety.

The joint resolution was proposed by Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok of Incheon at the 56th temporary meeting of the Association held last month, gaining sympathy from the provincial governors and was adopted with the unanimous consent of all 17 provincial governors on this day.

Earlier, Incheon City, to resolve the issue of the proliferation of political party banners in the city center following the amendment of the Outdoor Advertising Act, revised the outdoor advertising ordinance for the first time among local governments nationwide in May and recently began forcibly removing political party banners starting with Yeonsu District.

The revised ordinance limited the number of political party banners that can be installed on designated posting boards to four or fewer per National Assembly electoral district and prohibited hateful or defamatory content. However, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety has filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court, claiming that Incheon City's ordinance is illegal due to lack of delegation from higher laws.

At the Salt Field Intersection in Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, officials from Yeonsu-gu Office are forcibly removing political party banners that violate the 'Incheon City Outdoor Advertising' ordinance. 2023.7.12 [Image source=Yonhap News]

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