The number of cases of online abuse dropped from 14,908 in 2016 to 13,348 in 2017 before rising sharply last year. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — While malicious comments on the Internet have emerged as a social problem following the death of singer-actress Sulli, it seems that the number of cases of cyber defamation and humiliation is on the rise.
According to the National Police Agency Wednesday, the number of cyber defamation and insult cases reported to the police came to 15,926 last year, up about 19.3 percent from a year earlier.
The number of cases of online abuse dropped from 14,908 in 2016 to 13,348 in 2017 before rising sharply last year. In the first eight months of this year, the number stood at 10,928.
The body of the 25-year-old Sulli, a K-pop star and actress, was found at a two-story house in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province.
A handwritten memo about her usual feelings was found but it was not a suicide note.
The fact that Sulli suffered from life-long vicious comments has been reported to the public, and the voice of self-reflection on the spreading malicious culture is growing.
“The increasing number of celebrities choosing to take their own life is creating a social consensus that online abusers need to be punished for spreading false information or malicious comments on the Internet,” a police official said.
The official further added that “the police will respond sternly to malicious comments.”
H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)
