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Lee's call to shut down far-right online community reignites debate on freedom of speech

Published: 24 May. 2026, 18:04

President Lee Jae Myung gives a speech at Jogye Temple in Jongno District, central Seoul, on May 24 to celebrate Buddha's Birthday. [NEWS1]

Korea’s infamous far-right online community Ilbe is once again under scrutiny after President Lee Jae Myung reignited calls for the site to be shut down. His remarks ruffled feathers on both the left and right as a decade-old debate over freedom of expression and the regulation of hate speech and misinformation resurfaced.

Lee took a direct shot at Ilbe, also known as Ilgan Best, in an X post on Sunday after Ilbe users mocked the memorial ceremony marking the 17th anniversary of former President Roh Moo-hyun’s death on Saturday.

“Under strict conditions, we need to publicly discuss and actually review [...] punishing and imposing punitive damages for ridicule and hate speech, as well as shutting down websites, including Ilbe, that neglect and encourage such ridicule and hate,” wrote Lee. “I will also instruct the Cabinet to review the matter.”

Ilbe is often at the center of the debate of freedom of speech versus hate speech.

In 2018, more than 230,000 people signed a petition on the Blue House website, demanding Ilbe be shut down. At the time, the then-presidential secretary for legal affairs at the Blue House noted that Ilbe could potentially be closed because “the Korea Communications Commission shuts down or blocks access to websites when illegal information accounts for 70 percent of all posts.”

The legal basis for determining whether information is illegal comes from the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, which classifies and prohibits the distribution of obscene material; information that defames others with the intent to slander; content that causes fear or anxiety; and information intended to facilitate, encourage or aid crimes.

An online petition filed on Jan. 25, 2018, requests that Ilbe, Korea’s infamous far-right online community, be shut down. [SCREEN CAPTURE]

One of the most notable cases in which a site was shut down in Korea involved Soranet, which was forcibly closed in 2016 for distributing sexually exploitative material of women and children.

Despite repeated controversy, however, Ilbe has never been shut down. Because such online communities contain posts on a wide variety of topics, observers say that it is difficult for illegal information to comprise more than 70 percent of all content.

Freedom of expression also keeps Ilbe active. Lee himself acknowledged in Sunday’s post that “there are conflicting arguments surrounding behavior such as Ilbe’s, which promotes social division and conflict through ridicule and insults.”

“Some people argue that [Ilbe] should be protected as freedom of expression, while others argue that sanctions, including punishment, are necessary,” the president wrote. “Still, there has been controversy over shutting down [the site].”

In fact, singer Kang Daniel lost a lawsuit in 2021 when he sought the closure of a gallery on DC Inside, an online forum site, over alleged defamation and invasion of privacy. The court ruled against the singer, saying that shutting down the site could “reduce freedom of expression.”

The Ilbe, or Ilgan Best, website [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Critics have also raised concerns over the effectiveness and fairness of shutting down Ilbe. Some warn that shutting down a specific website will simply push users to other platforms, creating a balloon effect, while others fear that such measures could be abused to silence particular political viewpoints.

“Unlike pornography, for which illegality is relatively clear, expression-related issues can be difficult to classify as information harmful to society,” attorney Park Seong-bae said.

Still, domestic and global platforms have recently strengthened their guidelines on hate speech. Naver upgraded its AI-based “Cleanbot 3.0” to detect malicious comments. The system comprehensively analyzes article headlines and content to block harmful comments, particularly those involving contempt for life by encouraging suicide or self-harm or by targeting victims of accidents or disasters and their bereaved families. TikTok also prohibits hate content targeting specific religions, cultures or individuals.

The Korea Internet Self-Governance Organization, which includes domestic platform companies such as Naver and Kakao, introduced self-regulation guidelines on hate speech in 2023. The guidelines allow member companies to take measures such as deleting content or issuing warnings over hate speech.

“Platforms’ self-regulation and proactive responsibility for management can reduce the social costs involved in responding to illegal information,” said Yu Hong-sik, a professor at Chung-Ang University’s school of media and communication.

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 SEO JI-WON [[email protected]]