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Street Illegal

Freedom of speech is taken for granted in the democratic countries of the world. Yet this fundamental right is facing an existential threat in South Korea, one of the beacons of freedom and democracy in Asia. This is arising due lawmakers in Seoul, the country’s capitol, effectively adopting a new hate speech regulation that looks on the surface like a well-intentioned effort to curb online abuse. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The new law is not a shield for the vulnerable but a sword for the powerful. This is nothing less than a gag order disguised as human rights protection. Its vague definitions and broad scope will weaponize the legal system to silence political dissent. Most dangerously, it could make it impossible to criticize foreign influence operations, effectively shielding the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from public scrutiny.

The text of the law is a masterpiece of legislative ambiguity. It defines hate expression and offensive public speech so broadly that almost any robust political criticism could be targeted. It fails to distinguish between malicious racism and legitimate national security commentary.

This is the very same Political Correctness (PC) authoritarianism that Americans see on university campuses, but with the force of criminal law behind it. In South Korea, regulators could use this law to label investigations into Chinese espionage or critiques of pro-North Korean policy as hate speech.

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