April 15, 2025
SEOUL – South Korea saw a sharp spike in illegal and harmful online content in the three months following former President Yoon Suk Yeol’s Dec. 3 martial law declaration, with government data showing nearly 3,600 posts flagged for removal across major internet platforms.
According to data submitted by the Korea Communications Standards Commission to Democratic Party of Korea Rep. Lee Jung-heon, 3,576 posts were subject to takedown requests between Dec. 4, 2024 and Feb. 29, 2025. Most were from Naver (3,138 cases), South Korea’s largest portal site. These included a broad range of violations, such as defamation, obscene material and cyberstalking.
While takedown requests typically fluctuate year to year — ranging from 4,300 in 2021 to 8,856 in 2024 — the 3,576 cases recorded in just three months mark an unusually sharp surge. That figure represents more than 75 percent of the total cases reported in all of 2023.
In addition, when it came to hate speech and discriminatory content specifically, DCInside, one of Korea’s largest internet portals, where the internet forums, called galleries, lean right, topped the list. Of all platforms monitored, DCInside accounted for 156 posts flagged for hate speech, followed by internet forum sites Ilbe Storehouse (a far-right offshoot of DCInside) with 97, and FMKorea with 1. Both Naver and Kakao’s Daum portals reported zero takedown requests in this category.
Often likened to platforms such as 4chan in the US, DCInside is known for its unmoderated structure and strong conservative user base, especially among men in their 20s and 30s. The forum saw explosive activity after the Dec. 3, 2024 martial law declaration and crisis, particularly on its “US Politics Gallery” and “People Power Party Gallery” boards.
According to Blackkiwi, a local search trend analytics platform, 81.3 percent of users searching for the “US Politics Gallery” on Naver in the past year were between the ages of 20 and 39.
The number of posts on the US Politics Gallery jumped from 2,547 in November to 330,502 in January, a 130-fold increase, coinciding with political unrest and Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment.
Some forum activity extended beyond rhetoric. In the days before the Jan. 19 riot at Seoul Western District Court, users shared detailed maps of the court building and plans. Police are investigating whether posts made on DCInside played a role in organizing or inciting the mob violence, during which rioters broke into the courthouse and attacked police officers, journalists and the building itself.