In a landmark ruling sending shockwaves throughout the Korean entertainment industry and the Internet community as a whole, the 30-year-old man has been imprisoned for 8 months for a hate-filled campaign against actress Shin Se-kyung.
First reported by Financial News on the 4th, the Seoul Eastern District Court’s Criminal Division 3 (Presided over by Chief Judge Lee Ho-dong) handed out the ruling to the defendant, Mr. A, who was indicted for criminal intimidation and public insult.
Between June 3 and August 14 of the past year, Mr. A flooded bulletin boards particularly the Shin Se-kyung board of DC Inside and various K-drama boards at least 450 times with offensive postings. These were not just baseless criticism there were brutal defamation, fabricated gossip, and flat-out threats, including one chilling threat of attacking the actress with hydrochloric acid.
His cyber-harassment did not stop with Shin Se-kyung. He continued his hate campaign against her family members, close contacts, and devoted fans and used the cover of anonymity to pursue malice and fear-mongering.
The prosecution, pointing out the gravity of the threats, petitioned for a 2-year jail term. Shin Se-kyung’s management team, The Present Company, replied sternly and emphasized its no-tolerance stance against cyber bullying:
“We have new evidence regarding the abusive commentators and we will take the same strong line with any future cases.”
It is a poignant illustration of the offline consequences of hate online and the powerful truth no screen is free of accountability.
