Naver, a prominent South Korean online platform, has decided to hide comments on political and election-related articles starting from June 3, which marks the date of the 9th nationwide local elections. This decision was made following similar measures taken during last year's presidential election, indicating a broader effort by Naver to mitigate the impact of online comments on voter behavior. Users will still be able to comment and view comments, but they will need to click to expand the comments section, which aims to reduce direct exposure to possibly manipulative rhetoric during a sensitive electoral period.

The changes will also see the sorting options for comments limited to 'most recent,' removing various sorting methods that had been available based on user engagement. This reflects Naver's concern regarding the potential for comment sections to be exploited for opinion manipulation, particularly in light of past incidents, such as the exploitation of elderly individuals by 'Rebox School' for comment tampering through smartphone manipulation. By restricting the visibility and sorting of comments, Naver hopes to foster a more reliable online discourse closer to the elections.

Additionally, Naver plans to implement an automated system in April that will close comments on articles with a high proportion of blocked content. This system will utilize a 'Clean Bot' designed to detect and block offensive language and inappropriate content. Naver's intention to extend this comment-closing feature beyond political articles into all news categories suggests a committed effort to create a healthier online communication environment, which is particularly crucial during the election period when the integrity of public discourse is paramount.