Longest, a Korean-American, found herself at the center of a social media storm after a disagreement with another contestant on the show. (Photo: a screenshot from Seonkyoung Longest’s Instagram account)
SEOUL, Oct. 7 (Korea Bizwire) – “I never thought I would face cyberbullying from Koreans, but unfortunately, it’s happening. Alas…”
These words, posted on Instagram by Seonkyoung Longest, a 40-year-old contestant on the popular Netflix survival cooking show “Culinary Class Wars,” underscore a growing concern in South Korea: the pervasive issue of online harassment.
Longest, a Korean-American, found herself at the center of a social media storm after a disagreement with another contestant on the show.
The incident prompted thousands of malicious comments on her Instagram and YouTube channels, with some users telling her to “go back to your country” or asking, “Why are you even alive?”
This case is not isolated. According to data from the National Police Agency, nearly 120,000 cases of cyber defamation and insults were reported over the past five years.
The numbers have steadily increased from 16,633 cases in 2019 to a peak of 29,258 in 2022, with a slight decrease to 24,252 cases in 2023.
The surge in online harassment has not been limited to celebrities. Ordinary individuals who appear on television programs have also reported distress from the flood of negative comments they receive.
Online harassment (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
In response to earlier controversies involving celebrities and athletes, major South Korean web portals like Naver and Kakao discontinued comments on entertainment and sports news articles in 2019.
However, this move seems to have shifted the problem to social media platforms, where users now leave abusive comments directly on individuals’ posts.
Experts suggest that this behavior may stem from a distorted desire for attention and recognition. Lim Myung Ho of Dankook University’s Psychology Department describes it as a form of “hero psychology” that has found an ideal outlet in social media.
“SNS provides an easy way to gain supporters regardless of time and place,” he explains.
For some users, leaving malicious comments has become a form of media consumption itself, adds Yoo Hyun-Jae from Sogang University’s Department of Mass Communications.
“The comment section has become its own platform,” he notes. “The immediate reactions and responses can make users feel like they’re in charge.”
To combat this issue, experts recommend mandatory media education for social media users and sanctions against platforms that fail to adequately address online harassment.
“There’s a lack of mature user awareness commensurate with the widespread expansion of media,” Yoo states, suggesting that media education should be made compulsory.
Lim emphasizes the need for cultural change and improved legislation. “Internet culture needs to change, but that’s not easy, and the law seems unable to keep up,” he says.
“We need measures to sanction platforms that allow illegal activities despite being aware of them.”
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
