South Korea Adds Hate Speech as Disciplinary Category for Public Servants

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- The government has newly added hate speech as one of the categories subject to disciplinary measures for public servants in an effort to strengthen punishment for such behavior, officials said Thursday.

Currently, public officials accused of hate speech can be punished for violating the obligation to maintain decency under an "other" category, but the ministry of personnel management has revised the decree on disciplinary action against public officials to create the hate speech category.

The revision, set to take effect Oct. 1, calls for the maximum disciplinary action of "removal" for those who seriously harm their decency with hate speech while restricting the reduction of penalties even for those with a record of awards for meritorious acts.

It is seen as an expression of the government's commitment against hate speech.

The ministry also strengthened penalties for neglect of duty and passive administration, raising the minimum disciplinary action from a warning to a reduction in wages.

"By strengthening the criteria for punishing passive administration and hate speech, we will make proactive efforts to ensure the public service meets the expectations of the people and aligns with the trends of the times," Personnel Management Minister Choe Dong-seok said.