Hateful, Defamatory “Modified Political Party Banners” to Be Removed Under Zero-Tolerance Policy; Intensive Crackdown Through Year-End

Outdoor Advertising Policy Committee to Support Swift Legal Interpretations
Fines for Political Parties, Incentives for Local Governments

The government will launch a focused cleanup campaign under a zero-tolerance principle to curb the proliferation of “modified political party banners” containing hateful or defamatory expressions, which have been making a comeback.

The Ministry of the Interior and Safety announced on November 15 that it had drawn up and would begin implementing a plan to strengthen the cleanup of political party banners containing hateful or defamatory expressions, aimed at improving enforcement in the field and eliminating illegal political party banners.

After implementing its “Guidelines on Prohibited Advertisements” in November 2025 and strengthening support for legal interpretation in January 2026, the ministry reduced the number of political party banners removed by 6% through September 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, from 73,897 to 69,643. Related complaints also fell sharply by 49%, from 27,698 to 14,040.

However, following Chuseok in September 2026, so-called “modified banners” began to appear, indirectly containing content that infringes on the rights or reputation of others. As violations of rules on the number of banners, display periods and installation methods continued to recur, the government drew up this implementation plan to respond firmly according to consistent standards.

From now on, before assessing banner content, authorities will strictly enforce formal requirements, including a limit of two banners per political party in each eup, myeon or dong; a ban on installation in child protection zones; and compliance with the 15-day display period. If a banner violates the legal requirements, authorities will issue an order to correct the violation and require its voluntary removal within 24 hours. If the order is not followed, the relevant city, county or district government will remove the banner immediately.

Banners that could infringe on the rights or reputation of others through hateful or defamatory content will be removed in accordance with the “Guidelines on Prohibited Advertisements.” If a complaint is filed by an affected party or by multiple people, authorities will review whether the banner violates the law and demand corrective action within 24 hours. If the demand is not followed, the relevant city, county or district government will remove the banner and place it in temporary storage.

The government will also strengthen central-government support for swift legal interpretation. Even if no complaint has been filed, in cases that are highly controversial or difficult for local governments to assess, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety will, at a local government’s request, refer the matter to its Outdoor Advertising Policy Committee for deliberation and a decision, then provide guidance on how to respond. The ministry will promptly share the interpretation nationwide so that consistent standards are applied.

Once a violation of the law is confirmed, authorities will impose fines under a zero-tolerance principle. City, county and district governments will form joint, permanent inspection teams with private organizations such as local outdoor advertising associations and operate rapid-response cleanup teams that can be dispatched immediately, including on weekends, public holidays and at night. Provincial and metropolitan city governments will oversee cleanup efforts and, when necessary, carry out removals directly. The Ministry of the Interior and Safety will also form a “Field Response Task Force” involving the Korea Outdoor Advertising Center and provincial and metropolitan city governments to inspect areas where banners are repeatedly installed and provide advice on enforcement.

After providing guidance to political parties and conducting public outreach starting November 16, the government will run an intensive inspection period from November 23 through the end of the year. Once the inspections are complete, it will disclose cleanup results and information on violations and penalties, and plans to provide incentives to local governments with strong cleanup records.

The government will also strengthen protections for public officials conducting on-site enforcement. It will expand legal support, including exemptions under the proactive administration system and the appointment of legal representatives, for officials who face lawsuits or criminal complaints while lawfully performing their duties. It will also work with the relevant police stations to develop measures for handling on-site disputes, including cases involving property damage.

In addition, the government plans to actively support the swift passage of amendments to the Outdoor Advertisements Act and the Political Parties Act, which are currently pending before the National Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee and Public Administration and Security Committee, respectively. The amendments would expand the scope of prohibited advertisements to include discriminatory expressions based on national or regional origin and religion, and establish a committee under the National Election Commission to review the content of political party banners.

Minister of the Interior and Safety Yoon Ho-jung said, “Political parties’ freedom to engage in political activities must be respected, but banners that violate laws and regulations, threaten public safety or infringe on the human rights and reputations of others can never be allowed.” He added, “We will work closely with local governments and respond firmly under a zero-tolerance principle until illegal and hateful banners disappear from people’s daily lives.”

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