|
The government and ruling party have decided to create a law that punishes people who slander others in cyberspace. The measure was prompted by the death of actress Choi Jin-sil, who apparently committed suicide after being hounded by malicious rumors on the Internet. The government and Grand National Party also decided to require people to register with their real names on more websites before posting messages.
The Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Police Agency received complaints about 4,991 cases of Internet violence in 2003, and this almost tripled to 12,905 in 2007. Some celebrities have killed themselves after becoming the targets of cyber terror, while others, from ordinary people to businesses, suffered indiscriminate cyber attacks. Two different groups of movie directors issued statements saying they hope Choi¡¯s case would provide the impetus to ¡°purify¡± the Internet, which had been contaminated by false rumors and irresponsible attacks against others by anonymous people. Even movie directors, who cherish their right to freedom of expression, are saying they want to go back to the analog days when people wrote letters to each other. This is how far things have gone.
The main opposition Democratic Party said it does not oppose limited restraints on people attacking others through malicious postings on the Internet but is against a law that punishes people who slander others in cyberspace, saying such regulations are ¡°politically motivated¡± attempts to take control of the media and to crack down on freedom of speech in cyberspace. It says slander in cyberspace can be already be punished with existing laws against slander, libel and contempt.
But the vague and abstract verbal attacks and words of criticism on the Internet are not enough to establish a watertight case for libel, and the punishment currently stipulated in the criminal law, which is up to a year in jail or a fine of up to W2 million (US$1=W1,224), is not nearly severe enough. Tougher laws are needed, since cyber violence has a far greater impact on people than mere words exchanged offline.
A public consensus has already been formed calling for the establishment of laws that regulate and punish violence in cyberspace. Anyone can be a target. This is not a problem that should be handled according to the political interests of individual parties. The ruling party should not force this bill on the opposition, but the opposition should not simply resist it. Both sides should instead discuss ways to create regulations that will turn the Internet into a responsible forum of exchange.
|
