Gangbuk-gu to Strongly Regulate Political Banners Containing Hate and Discrimination

Reflecting Ministry Guidelines,
Strengthening the Review Committee

Gangbuk-gu in Seoul (District Mayor Lee Soonhee) is launching a strong initiative to regulate prohibited advertisements, including political banners containing hate speech or discriminatory expressions.

The inspection team of Gangbuk District is removing illegal banners. Provided by Gangbuk District.

The district announced plans to foster a healthy culture of public expression and protect residents from banners that provoke conflict in public spaces, reflecting the recently distributed "Guidelines on Prohibited Advertisements Containing Hate or Discriminatory Expressions" from the Ministry of the Interior and Safety.

Starting this month, Gangbuk-gu will establish new internal standards for regulation and pursue measures to strengthen the functions of the Outdoor Advertising Review Committee. The district plans to enhance the professionalism and fairness of the committee by appointing additional external members, such as legal experts and resident representatives.

The targets for regulation include various illegal advertisements that harm residents' sentiments and safety, such as political banners containing hate or defamatory language. In particular, even if a banner is from a political party, the district will immediately issue a corrective order and proceed with removal if it is found to contain content prohibited under the Outdoor Advertising Act.

Until now, the district has consistently managed outdoor advertisements by removing illegal banners and posters and conducting safety inspections of aging signs. Gangbuk-gu expects that these strengthened measures will help reduce social conflict caused by indiscriminate banner postings and improve the safety and comfort of public spaces.

Lee Soonhee, Mayor of Gangbuk-gu, stated, "Hate speech and the ongoing spread of false information can undermine resident safety and community trust, so we will respond firmly," adding, "We will do our utmost to establish a sound advertising culture through reasonable standards and fair reviews."

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