South Korea Mandates Immediate Removal of Suicide-Inducing Content Online

Online platforms in South Korea, including major portals and social media services, will soon be legally obligated to act swiftly against content that promotes or facilitates suicide. New regulations mandate the immediate deletion, blocking, or restriction of search and transmission for any information found to be inciting self-harm.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced the partial revision of the Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Prevention of Suicide and the Promotion of a Culture of Life Preservation. This move follows the passage of amendments to the suicide prevention law by the National Assembly last October. The revised decree, set to take effect on November 12, specifies the concrete measures information and communication service providers must implement to prevent the spread of such harmful content.

Suicide-inducing information is broadly defined under the new rules. It encompasses content that seeks suicide partners, provides specific methods, encourages self-harm, displays images or videos of self-harm, or glorifies suicide. Upon discovering such content, service providers must take immediate action to remove or block it. They are also required to prevent users from searching for this information and to restrict its transmission between users.

To prevent unchecked censorship and establish realistic operational boundaries, the scope of these measures is clearly defined. The regulations apply only to information that is publicly distributed and circulated through the information and communication networks directly operated and managed by the service provider. This ensures that platforms are responsible for content within their direct control.

Furthermore, a new post-action reporting procedure has been established. Information and communication service providers must compile a monthly summary of the actions taken, such as deletion, blocking, or search restrictions, and submit it to the Minister of Health and Welfare in an electronic format by the end of the following month. The Ministry expressed its expectation that these revisions will contribute to fostering a culture of life preservation by systematically managing and preventing the distribution of suicide-inducing content.

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Through this enforcement decree revision, we expect to contribute to fostering a culture of life preservation by systematically managing and preventing the distribution of suicide-inducing information.