(image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — A local research institute claimed Monday that the social and economic cost of malicious online comments reaches about 35 trillion won (US$24.3 billion) a year.
According to the Barun ICT Research Center affiliated with Yonsei University, up to 35.3 trillion won is spent a year due to problems arising from internet trolling, including an opportunity cost of about 28 trillion won due to people losing their happiness from anxiety and depression.
The result was reported at a conference hosted by Rep. Hwangbo Seung-hee of the ruling People Power Party.
It was unclear how the cost was calculated in financial terms.
According to the center, a poll also showed that 46.5 percent of respondents said they have direct or indirect experience with malicious comments online, with 80.5 percent of them saying the comments were written by strangers.
Only 10.3 percent of the victims, however, filed criminal complaints over the matter.
(Yonhap)
