Girls Generation Sunny and actor Lee Seo Jin both scored a victory against a malicious commenter who posted rumors against them online. The court imposed stiff penalties on the netizen after he was found guilty of defamation.
According to a report by All Kpop, the Magistrate's Court in Daejon ordered the netizen to serve six months of jail and two years of a suspended sentence with 80 hours of community service to atone for his offenses against Sunny and Lee Seo Jin.
Based on the court's ruling, the netizen received the penalty because he posted a malicious rumor within an internet community that had over a million users. The court stated that such acts need to be given severe consequences due to its implied danger to society. The court released the ruling on October 18, exactly one year after the netizen posted the malicious rumor online.
The issue of malicious comments has been plaguing Korean artists for some time now, with the freedom trolls and bashers have in spreading hate online. With malicious commenters hiding behind untraceable usernames, they post unverified rumors and hurtful statements directed at celebrities regularly. Many celebrities decried the unfair statements and defamatory posts they receive from these faceless individuals.
Unfortunately, reports hint that many Korean celebrities fall into depression because of the impossible set of standards set for them by fans who take to social media to criticize them at the first opportunity. Following the death of former f(x) member Sulli, Korean lawmakers have filed the Sulli' Act, which seeks to address the problem of malicious commenters.
According to a report by Metro, the bill which seeks to address the proliferation of abusive commenters online is being supported by over 200 celebrities and other public figures who have experienced similar forms of online harassment. The bill is expected to be tackled by the National Assembly this December.
The Korea Entertainment Management Association (CEMA) has also aired its stance on protecting Kpop artists from cyberbullies.
"We will no longer stand idly by, and we will do our best to eradicate cyber violence and malicious commenters. As other victims have done in the past, we will take the spreading of rumors and malicious comments and the crimes of the commenters very seriously, and we will no longer overlook these issues," CEMA stated in a post by Metro .
