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Star lecturer arrested for fabricating internet comments on competitors
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By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Park Kwang-il, a famous lecturer teaching Korean language to students preparing for the College Scholastic Ability Test (CSAT), has been arrested for allegedly posting numerous malicious comments on websites related to cram schools, in a bid to slander rival lecturers.
District prosecutors in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, said Wednesday that Park was arrested on allegations of defamation and obstruction of business.
Park Kwang-il / Yonhap
“There is a risk of evidence destruction,” a local court said when issuing a warrant for Park's arrest.
Two other people were also arrested for joining in Park's activities.
According to the investigators, Park, who belonged to online education company Daesung Mimac, slandered lecturers of rival companies including Megastudy for about two years from July 2017, by creating hundreds of fake IDs.
He reportedly even established a company dedicated to fabricating negative online comments, and used a virtual private network in the Philippines in a bid to avoid the tracking of their IP addresses.
There have been several cases involving famous lecturers and cram schools in which fabricated online comments were used to manipulate public opinion, but this marked the first time that a lecturer has been arrested.
Park has rejected some of the allegations facing him, claiming that he did not order the creation of malicious online comments, according to the investigators.
Park previously worked as a Korean language teacher at a high school. He was scouted by a private educational institute after his lectures, aired on the Educational Broadcasting System (EBS), gained popularity among students.