Ad Boycott Campaigners Face Summons
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
About 20 Internet users have been restricted from overseas travel following their postings calling for a boycott of companies running advertisements in conservative newspapers that were critical of candlelit vigils protesting the resumption of American beef imports.
Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office said Tuesday that it would summon the netizens soon after verifying their identity in cooperation with operators of portal sites.
The prosecution will summon the campaigners for questioning, saying that the ad boycott campaign obstructed the businesses of the targeted companies.
``Nothing has taken shape yet. But we plan to summon them if it's confirmed they led the boycott campaigns,'' a chief prosecutor said.
The move comes after the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) ruled the Internet users' online campaign against companies advertising in the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo, were illegal. The KCC said the campaign infringed upon the right of the companies and damaged their businesses. It ordered Daum and other portals to erase all postings calling for the boycott.
Prosecutors requested portal sites to identify the users by tracing their IP numbers.
Some operators of Internet communities opposing U.S. beef imports are also under investigation.
Noting that as it collects information from affected companies, prosecutors said the number of Internet users to be questioned could increase in accordance with the extent of the damage.
``The boycott campaigns brought severe damage to companies running ads in the newspapers. We confirmed some had to shut down in the wake of the campaign,'' a prosecutor said.
Other Internet users denounced the prosecution for employing too rigorous action.
An Internet community operator said ``It's too harsh. We will take countermeasures with support from civic groups opposed to U.S. beef imports.''