Actress suicide makes Korea mull web regulation

Actress' suicide makes Korea mull web regulation

With a broadband penetration of about 80 per cent, Internet is the most popular tool of communication in South Korea

Monday, October 13, 2008

SEOUL, S.KOREA: The suicide of celebrated actress Choi Jin-sil a couple of weeks back has once again prompted the authorities to think about imposing certain regulations in the use of the worldwide web.

Ever since Choi’s suicide on October 2, at her apartment, there were rumours that she was the subject of online attacks and this led the 39-year-old actress to end her life.

The police investigating the case had come across some malicious online rumors about the celebrity star. One such comment said that Choi, who once won a government medal for her savings habits, was a loan shark.

It claimed fellow actor, Ahn Jae-hwan, committed suicide last month because Choi had persistently pressed him to repay a $2 million debt he owned her.

The police have tracked down four people including a woman working with a securities company, in this case of ‘cyber witch hunt’. Based on the observations and public outrage about such malicious remarks, South Korea is seriously pondering over the possibility of bringing about some regulations in the Net.

With a broadband penetration of about 80 per cent, Internet is the most popular tool of communication in South Korea. Since many antigovernment protestors also use the Net for their campaign President Lee Myung-bak had already sought to regulate cyberspace. And this incident has once again given the justification for his proposal.

In a recent incident, antigovernment rumours and postings appeared on the Internet regarding the dangers of lifting the ban on American beef in the country had fueled a political storm, which culminated in the resignation of the entire cabinet.

The opposition is against the cyber regulations saying that online crimes can be effectively dealt with under the existing laws.

Responding to the online slanders getting popular despite the cyber policing, the floor leader of the governing Grand National Party, Hong Joon-pyo said, “Internet space in our country has become the wall of a public toilet.” In an interview given to a television channel the actress had said she “dreaded” the Internet, where posters had insulted her for being a single, divorced mother. ©CyberMedia News

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