Crackdown Raises Worries About Freedom of Speech

The detention of an Internet pundit has re-ignited controversy over freedom of expression in cyberspace. Prosecutors detained the pundit, better known as ``Minerva," Thursday on suspicion of circulating a groundless story about the government's financial policy on the nation's No. 2 Internet portal, Daum. Investigators identified the suspect as 30-year-old Park, who has allegedly posted about 100 comments critical of the Lee Myung-bak administration.

What's also drawing public attention is if Park is really Minerva, who has become famous since he predicted the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the plunge of the local currency against the U.S. dollar. Investigators claimed Park was Minerva and said they would indict him on charges of falsely claiming on Dec. 29 that the government had requested financial firms and major corporations stop buying dollars.

It is surprising that the young, unemployed Park has no experience in finance or business. Investigators said he is a vocational high school graduate without a college education. How could such a person post in-depth economic analyses with critical acumen about the global financial crisis and local market trends? We have to take a close look at ongoing investigations and make sure that someone else isn't Minerva, once called the ``economic president."

There is no doubt that policymakers have been uneasy about Minerva because a large number of Internet users tended to give more credit to his predictions and insights into current economic and financial issues than government officials. Some of them wanted to crack down on the Internet commentator and those spreading false information and groundless allegations. In particular, some officials are still haunted by a specter of cyber activism that burst out during candlelit rallies against the opening of the local beef market to U.S. imports in May and June last year.

However, netizens, rights activists, legal experts and opposition lawmakers are expressing grave concerns over Park's detention, claiming that it might signal the government's full-fledged move to hush dissenting voices and suppress freedom of expression in cyberspace. Visitors to the Daum portal are challenging the prosecution's actions against Park. And the main opposition Democratic Party and other splinter parties criticized the prosecution for taking him into custody, calling on the government to ensure freedom of speech online.

The explosive popularity of the cyber commentator indicates that policymakers of the Lee administration have failed at two-way communication with the people, as highlighted by demonstrations against the resumption of U.S. beef imports. Thus, the government should focus more on setting up effective communication channels and developing better public relations, rather than clamping down on cyber pundits. Otherwise, it won't prevent the appearance of second, third and fourth Minervas. Internet users should also refrain from distributing groundless allegations.