By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The prosecution will disclose the names of companies that filed complaints against 16 bloggers who ran a campaign to boycott the firms' products because they ran ads in conservative newspapers.
The businesses involved oppose the disclosure, as they fear that they may face another round of criticism from Internet users.
A prosecutor at the Seoul Central Prosecutors' Office said Wednesday that at the request of the court, the prosecution will submit the list of nine companies that suffered 11.2 billion in losses from the boycott campaign.
As members of an online community, the bloggers led a campaign to boycott products of the firms that placed ads in three newspapers _ the Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Dong-a Ilbo _ which were critical of anti-American beef import candlelit protests.
The bloggers claimed that they could not receive a fair trial without knowing who their accusers were, and the prosecution accepted this. Prosecutors will submit a list of complainants to the court next week.