Seoul: President Lee Jae Myung urged officials on Tuesday to take stern measures against the spread of hate speech and disinformation, calling such acts crimes that must be stamped out. Lee made the remark during a Cabinet meeting, stressing that such extreme expressions spreading across social media and through other channels fuel social anxiety amid a growing polarization in society.

According to Yonhap News Agency, Lee stated, "There are still anachronistic acts of discrimination and hatred based on race, origin or nationality in some parts of our society." He highlighted the indiscriminate spread of hate speech targeting specific groups on social media, along with the rampant presence of false and manipulated information.

Lee's remarks came as South Korea has seen growing anti-China demonstrations by some conservative groups. Last week, the chair of the Korean Red Cross resigned following revelations about his past racist comments about foreign ambassadors. Lee strongly denounced those acts as crimes that threaten democracy and everyday life, and urged police to do their utmost to root out such behaviors.

"It can no longer be tolerated," he said. "These acts go beyond the bounds of freedom of expression. We must establish mechanisms to punish hate speech without delay." He went on to instruct authorities to make every effort to fundamentally block the dissemination of fabricated information and called on the political circles to join efforts to eradicate hate crimes and the spread of disinformation.