The Entire Street Banner Reads 'Lawless Town' Legal District

Published 08 Jul.2024 14:12(KST)

‘Rather Trust a Dog Than a Judge...’ and Other Vulgar Expressions
Dense on Both Sides of the Street, One Person Has 10 or More
District Office and Police Pass the Buck Without Crackdown
‘Seocho as a Hub of Judicial Justice’ Loses Meaning

"Arrest rotten judges, prosecutors, and lawyers," "Condemn the prosecution's Hana Association's targeted investigation"

The Seocho-dong legal town is becoming a "lawless land" due to illegal banners. Despite the rampant banners that defame others' honor or violate reporting regulations, the district office and police, who have the authority to crack down and remove them, are neglecting the situation by repeatedly saying ineffective phrases like "citizens' awareness must improve."

Ugly banners are covering the legal district. Some describe Supreme Court justices as "sinners of history," while others go too far with statements like "I would trust a dog rather than a judge."

On the 5th, in front of the Supreme Court and between the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office and Seoul Central District Court on Beobwon-ro in Seocho-dong, Seoul, there are numerous banners criticizing judges and prosecutors, as well as banners labeling specific individuals as fraudsters with harsh claims. There are 35 banners hung along the approximately 200-meter stretch of Beobwon-ro, including some with politicians' photos and insulting expressions.

According to a Supreme Court official, a solo protester once displayed about 10 banners in front of the Supreme Court main gate for over three years. Some of these banners included photos of Supreme Court justices with phrases like "Sinners of history" and "I would trust a dog rather than a judge."

Due to these illegal banners, not only court and prosecution officials but also lawyers and staff in the legal town are expressing distress.

[Image source=Beomryul Newspaper]

A prosecutor from the Supreme Prosecutors' Office said, "Because of the rampant illegal banners, the area in front of the Supreme Court and Supreme Prosecutors' Office buildings is practically recognized as an official protest space."

Many of these banners are illegal. According to the Outdoor Advertising Act, banners must be reported to the district office in advance and comply with designated locations and sizes. According to the district office and police, legally approved banners are rare.

Nevertheless, the district office and police are taking no action. A Seocho Police Station official said, "When small groups of citizens post illegal banners around the court, we try to induce voluntary removal, but it is not easy," adding, "Banners can only be posted during assemblies or protests, and can be removed at night or when no one is present, so we hope the district office promptly removes banners judged to be illegal," emphasizing that "removal is the district office's responsibility."

A Seocho District Office official said, "Assembly banners must be posted only within the assembly site by the assembly reporter, but sometimes banners are not removed after the assembly ends," adding, "It is difficult to determine whether the assembly participants have left the protest site one by one." They continued, "Regarding banners without actual assemblies, we will strengthen patrols and establish a cooperative system with the police station to ensure principles are followed."

Professor Lee Chang-hyun of Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Law School said, "There are many ways to express opinions, such as national petitions, without harming others, so I question whether it is right to leave banners that interfere with the duties of state institutions like courts and prosecution or the work of lawyers as they are."

Among citizens, criticism is rising regarding Seocho-gu's plan to promote the Seocho-dong legal town area as the "Asia-Pacific hub of judicial justice," with comments like, "How can they aim to create a hub of justice while neglecting lawlessness and illegality?"