The libel suit surrounding a popular singer shows how easy it is for celebrities to fall prey to cyber defamation. Internet users are still refusing to accept the results of a police investigation confirming that Tablo, the leader of Korean hip-hop band Epik High, graduated from Stanford University.
It is baffling why the bloggers, who claimed the singer falsely promoted himself as a graduate of the prestigious American university, will not back down on their groundless allegations. It is apparent that they have gone too far in spreading false information in cyberspace.
The investigation kicked off in August after Talbo, 30, whose real name is Lee Sun-woong, filed a libel suit against 22 bloggers for spreading the allegations against him. But police announced Friday that the entertainer earned a bachelor and master’s degrees in English literature at the U.S. school, respectively in March 2001 and June 2002.
Despite the announcement, how can the bloggers still maintain that their claims hold water? Even some of them have threatened to take the case to Interpol to prove their allegations are true. What nonsense! What’s the reason for them to distrust Korean police who have confirmed Tablo’s diploma and other related documents at the school?
The reason is apparently that the bloggers tend to believe only what they want to do. In other words, they will not listen to anything they don’t want to. This is totally unreasonable, and is as if they are claiming that ``I’m always right, and you are always wrong.” It is against any logic of how things go in the world.
Of course, any one can fully enjoy freedom of speech in South Korea. However, such freedom does not mean debauchery or libertinism. Where there is freedom, there is responsibility. This is also true in cyberspace. Netizens need to keep in mind that they should be responsible citizens on the Internet.
Reckless criticism of others, especially entertainers and other celebrities, infringes on their privacy. There have been many victims of character assassination on cyberspace. To name a few, top actress Choi Jin-sil and singer Yuny killed themselves in 2008 and 2007, respectively, apparently because of online defamation.
There is no need to mention how devastating the effects of cyber defamation are on individuals, especially celebrities. Cyber violence is a direct reflection of the nation’s social malady of distrust and resentment among different groups of people. All members of our society should work together to better protect privacy and usher in a mature Internet culture.