Lee Hae-rin is a City Desk reporter at The Korea Times, covering social issues, tourism and taekwondo. She is passionate about speaking up for the rights of minorities, including women, LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and animals as well as discovering the latest makgeolli trend in town. Feel free to reach her at lhr@koreatimes.co.kr.
YouTubers' unauthorized release of suspects' identities stirs controversy on vigilantism
This photo shows a restaurant in Cheongdo County, North Gyeongsang Province, which had employed one of the suspects of a 2004 group sexual assault in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province. The restaurant closed down after a YouTuber disclosed the man's criminal record online. Yonhap
By Lee Hae-rin
Arbitrary disclosure without victim's consent could lead to secondary damage: experts
A YouTuber’s unauthorized release of personal information about the suspects in a 2004 group sexual assault in Miryang, South Gyeongsang Province, is reigniting controversy over vigilantism here.
Since June 1, a Korean YouTube channel called “Narak Archive” has doxxed three suspects from the sexual violence case, releasing their private information, including names, ages and professions. The channel announced plans to reveal the identities of all 44 suspects and has encouraged viewers to report any related information.
Another YouTube channel, Combatrabbit, has also disclosed personal information about two suspects.
The disclosures went viral, sparking a debate on social justice and vigilantism related to the events from 20 years ago.
Each video has garnered up to 3 million views, creating significant buzz.
As a result, a restaurant that had employed one of the doxxed men had to close down due to a flood of negative online reviews, while another man was fired from his company.
The strong reactions from online users stem from a social atmosphere where the men have not offered meaningful atonements for their crimes, which were committed when they were minors.
None of the 44 have criminal records because they were never convicted of sexual assault, having either reached settlements with the victim's family or undergone short-term probation.
“If there was justice in Korea’s legal system, there would be no need for such a people’s court. This looks more like justice to me,” an online user wrote regarding the videos.
The controversy came amid the ongoing popularity of Korean drama series on private vengeance such as “The Glory,” “Model Taxi” and “Vigilante.”
However, the disclosures have been made without the victim's consent.
The Korea Sexual Violence Relief Center (KSVRC), a women’s activist organization that has been supporting and representing the victim, issued a statement, Wednesday, saying that the victim had no prior awareness of the disclosures until the channel uploaded its first video.
“The victim was never asked for prior consent,” the group said, adding that the center rather requested the video's deletion three days after its upload.
As of Sunday, Narak Archive unpublished all its videos and reset the channel. It then changed its name to “Nock.”
Experts point out that arbitrary disclosure of suspects’ identities could harm the victim. It could conjure up memories of the incident regardless of the victim’s will while causing unintentional secondary harm.
“The disclosure of a suspect’s identity not only affects the suspect but also leads to the exposure of the victim’s identity as well … This could be dangerous and lead to secondary damage to the victim,” said Jeon Yoon-jung, a legislative investigator at the National Assembly’s Legislative Investigation Office.
Also, disclosure of information based on unconfirmed reports could also harm the innocent.
Narak Archive accused a nail salon in Miryang of being run by a suspect’s girlfriend. However, the business owner posted online, stating that she had never known the suspect and had submitted a petition to the police to take legal action for the damage caused to her business and acquaintances.
Vigilante action cannot fully realize social justice, according to Ki Hye-jeong, the director of the KSVRC.
“Punishment (on sexual assaults) should be carried out through transparent and democratic procedures that consider the victim’s situation and intentions while granting rights to the accused,” she said.