President Lee condemns discrimination, calls for legal action against hate speech
Published: 11 Nov. 2025, 11:36
Updated: 11 Nov. 2025, 11:39
![President Lee Jae Myung presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Nov. 11. [YONHAP]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/11/11/df0814ff-757a-407f-9c58-d5fd83b7b481.jpg)
President Lee Jae Myung presides over a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Yongsan District, Seoul, on Nov. 11. [YONHAP]
President Lee Jae Myung on Tuesday condemned "rampant" racist and xenophobic behavior in Korea, calling for swift legal measures to punish hate speech and false information that he said are deepening social divisions.
"Discrimination and hate based on race or national origin are rampant in some parts of our society," Lee said at a Cabinet meeting held at the presidential office in Yongsan, central Seoul. "As society becomes more polarized, extreme expressions are fueling instability."
He added that he had raised the issue several times before but felt the need to emphasize it again.
He warned that online platforms have become hotbeds of harmful rhetoric and false information. “Especially on social media, expressions targeting specific groups are being circulated indiscriminately, and false or manipulated information is spreading. We can no longer overlook this,” he said.
Lee called such acts “clear criminal behavior that goes beyond freedom of expression,” and instructed the government to quickly introduce punishment mechanisms for hate speech and to take strong action against those who spread false or fabricated information.
“Racial hatred, discrimination and the distortion or manipulation of facts are acts that threaten democracy and people’s daily lives, and must be rooted out as crimes,” Lee said, urging politicians to join efforts to eradicate the problem.
Separately, Lee voiced support for Prime Minister Kim Min-seok’s proposal to form a task force for "constitutional government innovation" to investigate and review personnel actions against public officials involved in former President Yoon Suk Yeol's botched martial law imposition on Dec. 3, 2024, and alleged insurrection.
“That is something that obviously must be done,” Lee said, noting that while a special prosecutor is handling the criminal investigation, the government should also address administrative accountability.
"Depending on the level of responsibility, there are cases where administrative measures or personnel actions are needed, even if they do not warrant criminal punishment," he said. "This is not something that should rely solely on the special counsel, but an issue the government must handle independently."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY JEONG HYE-JEONG [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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