Seongdong-gu to Take Strong Action Against Banners Containing Hate Speech and Malicious Attacks

Prohibited Clauses Also Apply to Political Banners

Seongdong-gu in Seoul, led by Mayor Jeong Wonoh, has established a rapid response system for all prohibited advertisements, including political banners, and has begun strengthening the management of outdoor advertisements. With a recent surge in banners containing politically and socially controversial messages, there have been growing concerns that expressions of hate, derogatory language targeting certain groups, and fear-mongering phrases could fuel social conflict.

Seongdong-gu will take swift and strict action against all prohibited advertisements, including political banners. The photo shows the removal of illegal banners. Provided by Seongdong-gu.

In response, Seongdong-gu has developed its own "Prohibited Advertisement Practical Manual" and operates a system that strictly manages prohibited advertisements under the law. For banners determined to be prohibited advertisements, the district issues corrective orders to ensure their prompt removal. While the Outdoor Advertisement Act exempts certain political banners that meet specific requirements from needing permits or notifications, banners containing prohibited content such as racial discrimination may still be subject to regulation.

Recently, Seongdong-gu confirmed that some political banners at the center of public controversy contained discriminatory expressions based on race or nationality. The district issued corrective orders to the relevant political parties and ensured the banners were removed. Through these new measures, the district has clarified the principle that even political banners will be subject to immediate action if they violate Article 5 of the Outdoor Advertisement Act, which lists prohibited items.

Starting this month, the district has appointed legal experts as members of the Outdoor Advertisement Review Committee to enhance its expertise, and has established the "Prohibited Advertisement Practical Manual" to ensure a rational and consistent administrative process. In particular, if a political banner is determined to be a prohibited advertisement, the district will immediately issue a corrective order to the relevant political party, setting a 24-hour deadline for compliance to ensure swift removal.

A district official explained, "If you want to determine in advance whether the content of an outdoor advertisement may violate the law, you can request a pre-review before installation. Even if it is a political banner, if it contains prohibited content, it falls outside the scope of freedom of expression."

Jeong Wonoh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, stated, "Since banners containing hate speech are causing increasing discomfort among residents, we will take even more proactive measures. In order to protect residents' human rights and minimize social conflict, we will respond to prohibited advertisements swiftly and strictly."

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