Over 13,000 illegal political banners taken down ahead of general elections

SEOUL, The interior ministry said Tuesday it has taken down over 13,000 political banners illegally put up across the nation in a month of crackdowns ahead of the official election campaign period beginning next week. The revised Outdoor Advertisement Act, which came into force on Jan. 12, limits the number of political banners to two per party in each administrative district, with the exception of districts larger than 100 square kilometers, which are allowed up to three banners. It bans the installation of such banners near school zones or firefighting facilities and imposes a height limit of over 2.5 meters near roads at risk of covering the sight of drivers or passersby. The interior ministry said it has removed a total of 13,082 political banners that violated the regulations from Jan. 26 to Feb. 29, including 2,489 in Gyeonggi Province, 1,868 in Seoul and 1,343 in Busan. Of them, 86 percent of the total, or 11,268 banners, were found in the metropolis area. A total of 8,392 banners, or 64 percent o f the total, violated the 15-day limit for installation, followed by 17 percent being scrapped for exceeding the height limit, and 9 percent for being put up at prohibited areas. The interior ministry received 3,524 complaints in total during the monthlong inspection, with over half of them filed through the safety e-report system, where the public can report dangers in daily life. No accidents due to the banners were reported during this period. The ministry noted the number of political banners significantly dropped after the revised act came into force, but voluntary removal of the banners by parties is not being carried out smoothly. It plans to continue inspecting any illegal political banners with local governments up until next Thursday when the official 14-day election campaign period begins. Source: Yonhap News Agency