Lee orders punishment of hate speech, calls racism and misinformation a 'threat to democracy'
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 18:56
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- SARAH KIM
- [email protected]
![President Lee Jae Myung, center, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Nov. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/9b1afab4-9a57-4de9-9bbc-7cfad85fd365.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung, center, presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Nov. 11. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
President Lee Jae Myung ordered the stern punishment of acts that spread misinformation or promote racism and discrimination in a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, warning that they polarize society and threaten democracy.
"Truly anachronistic discrimination and hatred based on race, origin and nationality are rampant in some parts of society," Lee said in a Cabinet meeting at the Yongsan presidential office in Seoul on Tuesday. "As our society becomes increasingly polarized, these extreme expressions continue to exacerbate social unrest."
The president's remarks to his key aides come amid the spread of anti-China rallies by some right-wing groups, as well as the recent revelation of racist comments made by the head of the Korean Red Cross toward foreign diplomats.
"The spread of misinformation that promotes racism, discrimination and distorts and manipulates facts is a threat to democracy," Lee said, adding that such acts should be considered "crimes" to be eliminated as they pose a threat to people's daily lives.
In particular, Lee said that hate speech and misinformation were "spreading indiscriminately" on social media. "We can no longer tolerate this," he added.
He then called on politicians to join in the fight to "eradicate these hate crimes and fabricated information."
In recent months, far-right groups, seen as aligned with supporters of impeached former President Yoon Suk Yeol, have staged demonstrations in downtown areas, including Myeong-dong, where the Chinese Embassy is located, and in neighborhoods with a high number of Chinese immigrants, such as Daerim-dong in Guro District, western Seoul.
![Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1, ahead of their bilateral summit. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/8ea251bb-3b91-443f-b900-6400d3d67857.jpg)
Korean President Lee Jae Myung, right, greets Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Gyeongju National Museum in Gyeongju, North Gyeongsang, on Nov. 1, ahead of their bilateral summit. [PRESIDENTIAL OFFICE]
Such anti-China sentiment became more widespread following the political polarization exacerbated by the short-lived martial law imposition by Yoon, a hard-liner on Beijing, whose staunch supporters have espoused far-right conspiracy theories on Chinese interference in South Korean elections. The protesters have also expressed fear of Communism taking over the country as the liberal administration adopt a more dovish approach to North Korea.
Lee, in previous meetings with presidential aides, has called the anti-China protests in Seoul acts of "destruction" and ordered prevention measures, citing concerns that violent and unruly acts may harm foreign tourists and merchants.
At the first bilateral summit between Lee and Xi on Nov. 1, the Chinese president, on his first visit to Korea in 11 years, addressed the anti-China protests and called for improved public sentiment between the two countries.
"We must strengthen guidance on public opinion, spread positive messages and suppress negative trends," Xi told Lee.
![Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during a forum hosted by the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation at a hotel in central Seoul on Nov. 11. [NEWS1]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/926bcf82-fef8-4a0a-a4ef-32b3daf67a20.jpg)
Chinese Ambassador to South Korea Dai Bing speaks during a forum hosted by the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation at a hotel in central Seoul on Nov. 11. [NEWS1]
Chinese Ambassador to Seoul Dai Bing said at a forum on Tuesday that he hopes that South Korea will "come up with a fundamental solution" regarding the anti-China protests, echoing the Xi's remarks public sentiment.
Speaking at a seminar hosted by the Institute for Global Strategy and Cooperation at a hotel in Seoul, Dai warned that the "spread of disinformation about China by right-wing forces in Korea and the organization of anti-China protests not only harms bilateral friendship but also South Korea's national image."
The envoy stressed that Seoul-Beijing relations should be "free from external influence," in an apparent jab at U.S. President Donald Trump's protectionist stance, noting that bilateral ties "should not be directed at third parties, nor should they be influenced by them."
He noted that Beijing has also extended its visa-free policy for South Koreans until the end of next year, urging more South Koreans to experience China's "openness, prosperity and friendliness" firsthand.
On Friday, Lee ordered the Ministry of Health and Welfare to conduct a probe into Kim Chul-soo, president of the Republic of Korea National Red Cross, for allegedly making racist remarks about the skin color of foreign ambassadors at a gala event in 2023. Lee, rebuking such conduct, warned that discrimination based on "race, ethnicity, nationality or region constitutes a serious antisocial act that harms the national community."
During Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Lee instructed relevant officials to consider amending the Political Parties Act and to impose fines on platform operators who ignore hateful online posts, after the justice minister briefed him on his ministry's measures to respond to hate speech, presidential spokesperson Kang Yu-jung said in a press briefing.
She added that during the meeting, Prime Minister Kim Min-seok proposed to establish a task force for constitutional respect and government innovation to "investigate public officials across all ministries and agencies who collaborated in the Dec. 3 martial law incident and other insurrections" to "solidify the government's commitment to upholding the Constitution."
Lee, according to Kang, strongly agreed, stating that responsibility for the insurrections should be addressed independently, not by relying on a special prosecutor, and that, depending on the degree of involvement, criminal punishment and administrative accountability should be pursued.
BY SARAH KIM [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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