"We would rather discharge the president to the ocean!” Numerous similar banners decorated the streets after President Yoon Suk Yeol backed Japan’s plan to release Fukushima wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. In the busy streets of Seoul, the excessive number of provocative banners has become a cause for concern among many residents. It is not surprising that Korean citizens have started to recognize that banners are no longer being used in an appropriate way and are now complaining that there are no clear avenues to resolve this issue. With even politicians joining in on the silent verbal war, it is time to reevaluate and assess their purpose.

Initially, banners were meant to promote public interests and help improve Korean society. However, as the political banners began to take over the streets with eye-catching yet provocative words, the attention from citizens started to turn into negative criticism. This first accelerated in December 2022, when the National Assembly removed restrictions on displaying political banners, causing widespread dissatisfaction among the population. As a result, banners have now become a way to support and intensify political conflicts. Despite the evident need for change, Korean society has yet to prioritize the issue of banners and bring it to the forefront of public attention

Meaningless Words

Despite the increasing number of complaints, the law is ineffective in controlling the use of banners for other purposes, leading to a lack of clear solutions to prevent the spread of harmful and meaningless political messages that disrupt people’s daily lives. According to the Jongno District Office, there have been 235 complaints filed regarding protest banners near the buildings of Korea Telecom (KT) as of 2021. However, since protesters are allowed to display banners without restrictions as long as they inform local authorities beforehand, it cannot be argued that having banners in front of specific corporations is illegal. This has led to an uncomfortable situation between individuals and corporations due to a lack of clear guidelines and conflicting stances.

The unregulated abundance of banners also poses a risk to driver visibility and can be a major cause of accidents on road or pedestrian areas. The Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI) reported 4,010 accidents in 2021 in that year alone, caused by banners falling onto streets. Additionally, in January 2023, the excessive number of banners led to a streetlight collapsing and injuring a pedestrian in Pohang. The accidents caused by something intended to improve the lives of citizens often get perceived and criticized as contradictory. The issue with banners is also connected to pollution and global warming, as they are often discarded and buried, allowing harmful chemicals to pollute the soil and air. The Climate and Environment Headquarters of Seoul stated that the banners, made from plastic synthetic fibers that are a major source of microplastic pollution, release cancer-causing agents and greenhouse gases when burned. Considering that there were over 236 tons of discarded banners in 2022 within Seoul, with approximately 400 thousand banners being burned every year, the pollution being caused ought not be ignored.

Steps Towards Solution

In response to increasing protests and public awareness, national organizations have begun to take action by setting up detailed, practical policies. On April 23, the Ministry of the Interior and Safety (MOIS) announced stricter regulations on the number, location, and height of banners. In addition, the Korean government has imposed restrictions to improve the cityscape and remove useless banners, such as allowing a maximum of two banners per streetlight and ensuring banners are at least two meters above the ground as they may distract pedestrians or drivers. Along with these regulations being enforced on May 8, the government has also reduced the number of days for installing political banners before an election from 180 to 120 days to limit unauthorized banners.

In terms of environmental concerns, the official in charge of the Advertisement Team of Seoul stated in the interview with The Granite Tower (GT) that Seoul is exploring the chemical recycling of discarded banners to create sandbags, wallets, or pouches to maximize the value of banner recycling. He expressed hope that these steps that Seoul is taking, coupled with the various Earth Day events and the providence of shopping baskets made with discarded banners planned, will help increase the recyclable value of banners, leading to Seoul being able to turn discarded resources into something valuable.

However, citizens have expressed concerns about the current solutions. Some argue that there are blind spots where banners are difficult for local authorities to monitor and address; others worry about potential bias in enforcing regulations, as local governments may be reluctant to act against their own party. Moreover, the current regulations do not explicitly address the use of offensive language or personal attacks on banners, raising doubts about their effectiveness. The official in charge of the Advertisement Team of Seoul also expressed concerns about the recycling project being a perfunctory process and promised to actively satisfy the needs of the citizens while continuing the current project as a long-term goal. Given that banners often deviate from their intended purpose of promoting public interests and instead focus on political party promotion, Korean citizens need to take this issue seriously and actively speak out on it. In terms of noticing the seriousness of the current issue, the establishment of a deliberative body to regulate banner content and quantity in advance can be a helpful option in order to address the issue systematically. Additionally, measures should be implemented to address the external hazards posed by banners through stronger restrictions.

Citizens’ opinions and efforts to develop thoughtful and effective solutions need to be prioritized to avoid hasty actions, as well as to adopt helpful, practical measures. Furthermore, citizens, as a major part of the nation, should have opportunities to question various aspects of society and collaborate in implementing effective measures to resolve issues in society.