"XX, Live Straight" Can 'Malicious Comments' Really Disappear?

Indiscriminate Malicious Comments Targeting Celebrities and the General Public
Expert: "Malicious Comment Pain is Severe, Punishment Must Be Strengthened"

Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy reporters Han Seung-gon and Kim Young-eun] "Are we living in an era of hate?", "It seems there is no justice in our internet culture."

Recently, indiscriminate malicious comments (malicious comments) have been pouring in not only toward celebrities and professors but also ordinary people, emerging as a serious social problem. Experts have suggested that since the pain caused by malicious comments is at a level that individuals cannot endure, related punishments should be strengthened.

On the 16th, the YouTube content 'Gajja Sanai' declared a suspension of broadcasting after several controversies. During this process, various instructors appearing on the show, including the content creator, received indiscriminate malicious comments from netizens.

The content creator, Kim Gyeran, said, "Recently, the trainees and instructors participating in the program, as well as their families, have been suffering from severe malicious comments and are being consumed as gossip and social issues amid extreme stress."

In fact, it was reported that the pregnant wife of one of the instructors suffered a miscarriage after being harassed by excessive malicious comments and the spread of false information, showing how much pain malicious comments can cause.

Professor Lee Su-jeong from the Graduate School of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University is giving a lecture at the "2019 Asia Women Leaders Forum" hosted by Asia Economy on the 30th at Lotte Hotel in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Also, Professor Lee Soo-jung of the Department of Criminal Psychology at Kyonggi University, who recently joined the People Power Party’s re-election and by-election primary preparation committee, was also subjected to a barrage of malicious comments from netizens.

Professor Lee joined the People Power Party’s Sexual Violence Countermeasures Task Force (TF) in August. Then, on the 12th, when the People Power Party’s re-election and by-election primary preparation committee was launched, pro-Moon Jae-in (친문) netizens left various baseless malicious comments on related articles, including 'doxxing,' 'You got pregnant just to become a member of the National Assembly,' and 'Are you joining a criminal group because you majored in criminal psychology?'

Regarding this, Professor Lee criticized the comments as completely baseless. On the 16th, on CBS Radio's 'Kim Hyun-jung's News Show,' she said, "(Malicious comments) would make me deeply reflect and try to change if they were reasonable, but they start from absurd personal matters and wildly amplify and reproduce false information," adding, "I have never received as many malicious comments in my life as I did in 2020."

About the ongoing malicious comments, Professor Lee said, "A pot cannot keep boiling forever. When the water dries up, the pot will burn and that will be the end," and added, "I am just leaving it alone."

In response, netizens expressed reactions such as "Criticism is fine, but refrain from excessive blame," "You can kill someone with just your fingers," and "Since when did malicious comments become justified?"

Meanwhile, singer Yoon Ddan Ddan posted on his Instagram on the 18th, saying, "Can you not see the wounds someone might receive from your comments? I support many celebrities who are hurting from malicious comments beyond the limit." Afterward, malicious comments targeting Yoon Ddan Ddan also flooded the post.

Such malicious comments are baseless accusations that damage an individual's reputation. Cases of related punishments are steadily increasing. According to the National Police Agency in July, cyber defamation and insult crimes increased about 3.5 times from 4,752 cases in 2009 to 16,633 cases in 2019 over ten years. These crimes first exceeded 10,000 cases in 2015, then steadily increased with 14,908 cases in 2016, 13,348 in 2017, and 15,926 in 2018.

As a result, in 2007, the 'Real-Name Verification System under the Information and Communications Network Act,' which mandates real-name verification for portal site use, was implemented. However, from the discussion stage, there were continuous criticisms that it infringed on 'freedom of expression.' Also, there was controversy over its effectiveness because there was no way to apply it to overseas social networks (SNS) such as Facebook and Twitter. Eventually, five years after its introduction, in 2012, the internet real-name system was ruled unconstitutional, and real-name verification procedures for portal news comments disappeared.

Citizens express frustration. A man in his 30s, Mr. Lee, said, "Recently, someone left a malicious comment on my Instagram," and added, "I want to know why I did something wrong. It seems there are too many people who just pour out malicious comments as 'venting'."

Another office worker in his 40s, Mr. Kim, also said, "Malicious comments are so baseless that you can pay attention to them, but if they continue, someone might really believe the malicious comments as facts," and raised his voice, "This seems to be the feelings of people suffering from malicious comments."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Experts have suggested strengthening punishments for malicious comment crimes. Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University’s Department of Psychology said, "There is a lack of awareness that writing malicious comments is a punishable criminal act," and added, "(People who write malicious comments) feel pleasure by indiscriminately pouring out curses and criticism as long as they find a place to vent their negative emotions."

She continued, "Because the victim’s pain is very great, punishments for cyber violence should be strengthened," and emphasized, "It is necessary to temporarily implement the internet real-name system to habituate people to create a proper internet culture."

Professor Kwak said about coping methods, "Regarding excessive malicious comments directed at oneself, one should take legal action and show a strong stance in requesting punishment," and emphasized, "Malicious comments are flooding society so much. It will not be easy to overcome that pain alone, so legal punishments must be strengthened."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.