Key NHRCK Activities
Commission worked with various stakeholders to establish and enforce self-regulatory standards.
In January, the Commission announced the ‘Declaration of Hate Speech Elimination Action’
jointly with nine press and media organizations, including the Journalists Association of Korea and
Korean Producers and Directors Association. The declaration came in response to criticism that
the press and the media were a part of prejudice-building, spread and reproduction of hate speech,
rather than leading efforts to enhance human rights sensitivity across the society. It presents selfreflection by press and media personnel, the principle of zero tolerance against hate speech, and
seven categories of actions to combat hate speech.
In May, the Commission joined municipal and provincial councils of superintendent of
education in making a declaration to create safe schools where there is equality and no hate
and learn and practice the spirit of tolerance and solidarity. Later, it produced a guide for schools to
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speech, so that every constituent of the education community recognizes differences and diversity,
combat their unique problems and realities of hate speech, and distributed it to offices of education
hate speech measures in student regulations.
■ Increased response against hate speech online
Because malicious comments posted and circulated online are what principally drive rising
hate speech, it is important to engage online platform providers to enforce self-regulatory
measures. Using the hate speech report of October 2019, the Commission called on the Korea
Communications Commission and online platform providers to respond actively to hate
speech online.
Online platforms have revisited their policies to deal with hate speech. Kakao strengthened
its internal review regulations in February to delete hate and discriminatory comments. Naver
removed the comment sections on entertainment news and decided to disclose the identity of
malicious comment writers from March. Nate announced its plan to remove comment sections for
entertainment news from July.
Through a statement in March, the Commission supported the self-regulatory efforts by online
platforms. It subsequently conducted a joint study with Kakao and the Korean Society for Media
Law, Ethics and Policy Research on self-regulatory measures to address online hate speech. Based
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Activities
and schools nationwide. The offices of education are also sending out newsletters and including