Legal Amendments to Regulate Hate Speech by High-Ranking Public Officials Can No Longer Be Delayed
Sep. 3, 2026
by Joint Action Against Hate Speech by High-Ranking Officials
National Assembly Member Lee Jin-sook, who has a constitutional duty to uphold constitutional values, has repeatedly engaged in hate speech that distorts and disparages the May 18 Uprising. On August 13, she organized a National Assembly forum that effectively denied the established historical truths regarding the May 18 Uprising, and on August 27, she posted a video on her social media conveying the same intent. Lee Jin-sook constitutes an act of demagoguery aimed at inciting her base and is a clear promotion of hatred.
Because hate speech by high-ranking officials—including members of the National Assembly—carries a different weight of harm than remarks by ordinary individuals, their words and actions must be held to much stricter standards of public accountability and legal scrutiny. High-ranking public officials possess formidable institutional power and public voice compared to average citizens. Consequently, the hatred and historical revisionism they disseminate can lead to dangerous outcomes that publicly legitimize discrimination and exclusion.
Our society currently faces severe damage to the foundations of democracy and social trust, driven by figures who wield state power and prominent platforms to target specific groups and stoke hatred. From superintendent election candidates hanging hate-filled banners across the streets vowing to exclude and expel sexual minorities during the last local elections, to an incumbent lawmaker denying historical truths about resistance against state violence and insulting victims, hate-mongering by those in power has already crossed the danger line.
The Joint Action Against Hate Speech by High-Ranking Officials (consisting of 13 CSOs of South Korea) was formed out of a shared, urgent awareness that recurring hate politics by power holders can no longer be tolerated. We strongly condemn National Assembly Member Lee Jin-sook's anti-constitutional incitement of hate and urge the National Assembly to immediately pass legislation capable of regulating hate speech by high-ranking public officials.
Freedom of expression can be restricted when there is a clear and present danger of harm; it must never serve as a shield to protect hate-mongering by those wielding public power. The National Assembly must not stop at empty verbal criticism or performative disciplinary actions. It must swiftly establish a legal foundation to effectively regulate hate speech by high-ranking public officials with substantial social influence. We will hold National Assembly Member Lee Jin-sook strictly accountable for inciting hate, standing together in unwavering solidarity until legislation is enacted to restore dignity, equality, and constitutional values.
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