President Lee Jae-myung on the 11th instructed for the swift establishment of punitive measures against “anachronistic discrimination and hate” that are rampant in some parts of our society.
In his opening remarks at a cabinet meeting held at the Yongsan Presidential Office, President Lee stated, “I have mentioned this several times recently, but will address it once more.” He pointed out, “anachronistic discrimination and hate based on race, country of origin, and the like are rampant in some parts of our society.”
He further remarked on how such extreme expressions contribute to growing social unrest amid the increasing polarization. “Particularly on SNS and other platforms, expressions targeting specific individuals are being disseminated indiscriminately, and false and manipulated information is widespread. We can no longer ignore this,” he emphasized.
President Lee described such acts as “a clear criminal act that goes beyond the freedom of expression” and insisted on the urgent establishment of punitive measures against hate speech, as well as fundamentally blocking and strictly punishing the dissemination of false and manipulated information.
He stated, “The dissemination of wrong information such as racial hatred, discrimination, and distortion of facts is an act that threatens democracy and people’s daily lives, and thus should be banished as a crime.” He urged the political community to join efforts in eradicating false manipulation.
Meanwhile, President Lee expressed agreement with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok’s proposal to form a ‘Constitutional Respect Government Innovation Task Force’ to conduct internal investigations and discuss necessary personnel measures for public officials involved in emergencies such as the December 3 Martial Law, stating, “This is something that should naturally be done.”
President Lee highlighted the importance of handling this issue independently of the special prosecutors, noting that while special prosecutors are handling criminal punishment for insurrection-related matters, there may also be a need for administrative accountability or personnel reprimands for lower levels of responsibility.