From November, Songpa-gu Prohibits Hanging Hate, Defamation, and Insult Banners

First Basic Local Government Ordinance Prohibiting 'Hate, Defamation, and Insult Political Party Banners' Established... Unanimously Enacted by Both Parties in Songpa-gu... Promulgated on October 19... Resident Evaluation Group Formed to Ensure Fair and Objective Installation and Management of Political Party Banners

Seogang-seok, Mayor of Songpa District

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) announced on October 19 that it has enacted and promulgated the nation’s first ordinance by a basic local government to prohibit political party banners containing hateful, defamatory, or insulting phrases.

Until now, political party banners could be posted almost without limitation under Article 8, Clause 8 of the Outdoor Advertising Act, revised last December, resulting in a proliferation of political banners, many of which contained hateful, defamatory, or insulting language that caused public disapproval.

Earlier, in August, the district conducted a public perception survey on political party banners, which saw high participation from a total of 9,744 residents, revealing that political banners were perceived as a form of pollution. Additionally, 93% of respondents expressed the opinion that “if the content of political banners is defamatory or threatens safety, they should be immediately removed,” strongly indicating the necessity of removal.

In response to public opinion, Songpa-gu established the nation’s first ordinance aimed at eradicating hateful, defamatory, and insulting phrases on political party banners. This ordinance reflects the results of the public perception survey and provides practical improvement measures for managing political banners.

The political banner ordinance was unanimously agreed upon by both ruling and opposition parties in Songpa-gu, with Councilor Na Bong-suk as the representative proposer. It passed the district council plenary session on September 26, 2023, was promulgated on October 19, and is now in effect.

The main provisions include ▲prohibition of posting political banners containing hateful, defamatory, or insulting content ▲ban on installation in locations that may endanger traffic or pedestrian safety ▲limiting political banners to a maximum of 15 days per posting and prohibiting posting the same content more than twice consecutively ▲specifying the basis for forming and operating a resident evaluation panel to manage political banners.

Under the ordinance, decisions on removing political banners deemed hateful, defamatory, or insulting will not be made solely by administrative authorities but through evaluations by a resident evaluation panel composed of residents with sound judgment aligned with community standards. Evaluation and removal of political banners will be fully implemented starting November 1.

To this end, the district is publicly recruiting members for the resident evaluation panel. A pool of 81 members (3 per administrative neighborhood) will be formed to ensure fairness and objectivity in evaluations. Considering the 15-day posting period for political banners, evaluations will be conducted promptly via mobile phone or online as soon as a banner subject to evaluation appears.

Notably, adopting a system similar to the U.S. jury system, if two-thirds or more of the evaluation panel members judge a political banner as illegal political advertising, it will not be recognized as a legitimate political banner and will be removed immediately.

Applications for the resident evaluation panel can be submitted through the Songpa-gu Office website from October 24 to 26. Selected panel members will receive a modest evaluation allowance during their service.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, emphasized, “Through the political banner ordinance newly established as the first among basic local governments nationwide, political banners containing defamatory, hateful, or insulting phrases will no longer be allowed in Songpa-gu.” He added, “We will continue to pursue creative and innovative district administration that protects residents’ safety and the urban environment while guaranteeing normal political activities.”

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