South Korean President Lee Jae Myung Will Not Implement Hate Speech

JAKARTA - South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday pledged to enforce a zero-tolerance policy against hate speech and disinformation, describing it as "an apparent crime beyond the limits of freedom of expression."

President Lee also ordered his Cabinet to immediately announce measures to strengthen punishment and discipline, including the automatic dismissal of civil servants who use discriminatory language.

Leading a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan, President Lee said hate speech and false information on social media "confused social trust and undermined democracy."

"We can no longer ignore hatred or disinformation disguised as an opinion," he said, quoted by The Korea Times on November 11.

"Actions that distort facts or violate human dignity are crimes that must be punished," he said.

President Lee further instructed ministers to immediately design legislative and law enforcement measures, and asked police authorities to play a major role in stopping the spread of false content.

He said the government should "set clear limits between legitimate speech and incitement that endangers the public."

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Jung Sung-ho said the government would support parliamentary debates over hate anti-laws modeled under similar laws in Europe and Japan.

He added that the law would include fines for online platforms that fail to remove content containing hatred or manipulation.

President Lee supports the plan, saying the review should also remove the defamation criminal clause that punishes factual statements.

Such cases "must be resolved through civil law, not through criminal prosecution," he added.

Meanwhile, Personal Management Minister Choi Dong-suk proposed a new disciplinary regulation that would result in the direct dismissal of civil servants who were proven to have committed hate speech.

"We can no longer ignore hatred or disinformation disguised as an opinion," he said. "Action that distorts facts or violates human dignity is a crime that must be punished," he said.