President Lee Jae Myung on Nov. 11 speaks at a meeting of the Cabinet at the presidential office in Seoul. (Office of the President)

By Lee Jihae

President Lee Jae Myung on Nov. 11 said, "Racial hatred or discrimination and the spread of misinformation that distorts or fabricates facts are a threat to democracy and daily life and must be eradicated," adding that offenders will face harsh punishment.

The president said this to a Cabinet meeting he chaired at the Office of the President in Seoul, adding, "Certain parts of our society have seen rampant instances of anachronistic discrimination and hatred based on race, origin and nationality."

"Amid a growingly polarized society, such extreme expressions continue to compound social unrest," he said. "Hate speech against specific individuals is especially spreading indiscriminately on social media and other platforms, while false or fabricated information is flooding in."

"This is clearly a criminal act that exceeds the limits of freedom of expression," he added. "We must quickly set up measures to penalize hate speech and do all we can to fundamentally prevent and strictly punish the dissemination of false and fabricated information."

At a Cabinet meeting in September, President Lee ordered relevant authorities to resolutely respond to anti-Chinese rallies and demonstrations that incite hatred, saying, "What kind of freedom of expression is that?"

jihlee08@korea.kr