Kpop idol Shim Eun Jin from Baby V.O.X recently opened up about her face to face encounter with a malicious commenter at a police station.
According to a report by All Kpop, Shim Eun Jin was one of the first Kpop idols to be victimized by online bullies, as Baby V.O.X. was one of the first generation girl groups in Korea. Baby V.O.X was the first Kpop idol to be featured in the nine o clock news because of malicious comments.
Shim Eun Jin revealed in her interview with SBS Special how bad her experience was with anti-fans. She said she received over 1,000 malicious comments and received threatening letters written in blood.
She also shared how surreal her experience was in having to face malicious commenters in person. She recounted that it happened at a police station where the culprit was sitting casually in front of her.The former Baby V.O.X member said that she was surprised at the malicious commenter's attitude because she even had the gall to wave and laugh at Shim Eun Jin. She said that before they parted ways, the malicious commenter even waved to her and said goodbye like it was the most natural thing to do.
"In real life, you can't tell the difference between a malicious commenter and an ordinary person. Until the very end, [the malicious commenter] said to me, 'Unnie, take good care!'" she said.
Even though Baby V.O.X. was the first to experience malicious comments, things have not changed over the years. Based on reports, the situation has gotten even worse for the next generation idols.
The recent spate of deaths by Kpop idols like Sulli and Goo Hara recently raised the conversation on the impossible standards of perfection that idols were measured against. Their deaths also promoted awareness on the constant stream of negative comments and criticisms idols received from anonymous netizens.
In an interview, Dr. Joanna Elfving-Hwang, associate professor of Korean Studies at the University of Western Australia, explained that because entertainment companies market celebrities in a way that makes fans feel like they know these idols, they are forced to share their lives on social media which later become targets of criticism and hate once fans feel like they are deviating from the standard.
In response to the growing problem of cyberbullying, the Sulli Act is expected to be tackled by members of the National Assembly this month. The proposed law seeks to require netizens to use their real names in posting comments online to promote responsible social media use and help authorities track down malicious commenters more effectively, SCMP reported.
