The Hypocrisy Of Hate | The Daily Caller

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Hate Speech as a Weapon in South Korea

In the United States, we are all too familiar with the weaponization of “Hate Speech” codes. We have seen how the language of tolerance is often twisted to silence political dissent and enforce ideological conformity. Now, imagine if that same “Woke” authoritarianism was not just a campus trend, but a state policy that shields the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from criticism.

This is the nightmare unfolding in South Korea. The leftist Democratic Party, led by Lee Jae-myung, is pushing a series of bills that would criminalize “hate speech” against specific foreign nationals. On the surface, it sounds like a human rights initiative. In reality, it will become a “Gag Order” protecting Beijing. (RELATED: Legalising ‘Hate’ At The Expense Of Truth)

Saluting the Red Flag

The hypocrisy of the South Korean left is breathtaking. For decades, they have stoked anti-Japanese sentiment as a political tool. In downtown Seoul, protests featuring the burning of Japanese flags or effigies of Japanese prime ministers have occurred. The leftist establishment defends anti-Japan protests as “righteous anger” and “historical reckoning.”

Yet, when citizens gather to protest the CCP’s oppressive policies, the tone changes instantly. Suddenly, criticism of China is labeled “hate speech.” The Superintendent of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has even distributed guidelines to schools instructing teachers to police students’ language regarding China. He framed anti-CCP protests as discrimination that must be dealt with.

This double standard is historically incoherent. While the Japanese colonization (1910-1945) left deep scars, Korea spent centuries under the suzerainty of Chinese dynasties, paying tribute and suffering repeated invasions. Even today, Beijing claims ancient Korean kingdoms like Goguryeo as its own through the controversial “Northeast Project”. China inflicted billions of dollars in economic damage on Korea in retaliation for the deployment of the American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system.

Despite this, the Lee administration treats anti-Japanese sentiment as a badge of patriotism while branding anti-Chinese sentiment as hate. The message is clear: You may hate America’s ally, but you must not criticize America’s adversary.

Political Correctness in Action

The proposed legislation, spearheaded by lawmakers like Yang Bu-nam, uses vague definitions of ‘hate expression’ that could easily entrap journalists, defectors and activists. If a North Korean defector criticizes Beijing’s forced repatriation policy, could that be prosecuted as “inciting hatred against China?” If a scholar analyzes the CCP’s infiltration of Korean academia, will they face a prison sentence for “insulting a specific nation?” (RELATED: Dangerous Mindsets In Asia: Another Long March By China)

This is “Political Correctness (PC)” authoritarianism elevated to the level of national security law. It creates a legal grey area where the state can selectively prosecute its ideological opponents while giving a free pass to its allies. By adopting this framework, Seoul is effectively outsourcing its censorship standards to the CCP.

Why This Matters to America

For the United States, this should not be seen as just a domestic Korean dispute about manners. It is a strategic warning. Freedom of speech is the immune system of a democracy. It is what allows a society to identify threats, debate policy and correct course.

If South Korea loses the ability to speak freely about the threat posed by the CCP, it becomes strategically blind and silenced, and cannot serve as an effective watchdog in the Indo-Pacific region. It cannot warn Washington of Chinese coercion if its own citizens are gagged by the threat of prosecution.

Moreover, this legislation signals a dangerous ideological drift. When South Korea, a treaty ally, begins to dismantle the very freedoms the security alliance was built on then America ought to wake up to this threat to democracy. We all (Korean and American citizens) must avoid appeasing an authoritarian rival as this would fundamentally undermine the shared values that bind Washington and Seoul together. (RELATED: Stranglehold: The Story Of Silicon Capture In Asia)

Conclusion: The Freedom to Speak the Truth

If the bills pass, then we will witness submission disguised as tolerance — we therefore urge the withdrawal of these dangerous bills. We stand with the Korean citizens who demand the right to speak the truth about history and geopolitics, regardless of who it offends. True sovereignty means having the courage to criticize any power that threatens the nation, be it friend or foe. If South Korea surrenders its freedom of speech to the altar of “political correctness,” it will soon find that it has surrendered its sovereignty to Beijing.

KWON KYUNG-HEE is the Publisher and Representative Reporter for Mega Focus, a conservative media outlet in South Korea. She advocates for core conservative and Judeo-Christian values in public life and is a prominent voice on the mismanagement of the current Korean economic policy.