South Korea's social media problem

The line between protecting democracy and controlling speech is thin — and will be easily crossed in South Korea. How far will the Lee Administration go?

The Lee Administration faces a dilemma. It wants to clean up the internet. And who can blame it? The country’s digital spaces—once the pride of a hyper-connected, democratic society—have become a swamp of hate speech, deepfake porn, conspiracy theories, and coordinated harassment. Social media reform is not just overdue; it’s essential.

Here lies the dilemma: the tools that can clean up a swamp can also flatten a garden. Without great care, South Korea risks building an online regulatory machine that doesn’t just fight extremism—it chills dissent, shrinks the space for legitimate political debate, and attracts global criticism.

The line between protecting democracy and controlling speech is thin — and easily crossed. Every measure that targets misinformation risks becoming a tool for silencing dissent or manipulating debate. How far will the Lee Administration go?