X Faces Criticism Over Repeated Harmful Posts, Official Says Response is Lacking

Catherine Lin, Senior Director for Global External Relations and Market Development for X in the Asia-Pacific region, addressed concerns on October 22 regarding the platform's repeated posts related to sex trafficking and drug-related content. She stated, "We have a policy in place to address illegal content, which is applied uniformly across all countries, languages, and regions." Ko Kwang-hun, Chairman of the Broadcasting and Media Communications Review Committee, remarked, "X has very few corrective requests."

Lin made her comments during a comprehensive audit session of the National Assembly's Science, Technology, Information, Broadcasting and Communications Committee, responding to a question from lawmaker Jo Kyung-tae of the People Power Party about the ongoing presence of drug and sex trafficking posts on the platform.

Lin explained, "We have a dedicated team working 24/7 to remove such content, and we are collaborating with Korean authorities to address these issues."

Jo further questioned, "In Japan, when you search for 'ICE,' you only get ice cream-related results. Why is that not the case in Korea?"

In response, Lin noted, "In Korea, searching for 'ICE' also yields results for ice and ice cream. We have a team dedicated to enforcing our policies, which includes personnel familiar with the Korean language and culture." She added, "Despite the evolution of slang and malicious behaviors, we are making efforts to combat these issues."

Chairman Ko acknowledged that while platforms have been responsive to corrective requests during the review process, he emphasized that "X has very few corrective requests." He concluded by stating that the government needs to adapt its approach to X, including through the Broadcasting and Media Communications Review Committee and the Science and Technology Committee.