US users turn to Korean netizens in hunt for Cornell defendant Winston Lee
Summary
US users are turning to Korean netizens to help identify Winston Lee, a Korean student among seven defendants in a Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit, in Seattle. The online search has expanded across English, Korean and Korean American communities as users try to trace his Korean name, education, military service and background. Unverified claims about Lee and his family are also spreading.
Key Facts
- Publicly available information about Winston Lee is described as limited compared with the material circulating about some other defendants.
- Online users have linked Lee to Seoul Foreign School and UWC Atlantic in Wales.
- A LinkedIn profile attributed to him has listed service in the Republic of Korea Army.
- Cornell’s directory currently lists Lee as a student, while social media users claim he has returned to campus and is attending classes.
A Cornell University sign stands in Ithaca, N.Y., Monday. AP-Yonhap
SEATTLE — The sprawling online hunt for information about Winston Lee, a Korean student who is among seven defendants in a Cornell University sexual assault lawsuit, is increasingly crossing borders, with English-speaking social media users calling on Korean netizens to help uncover more information about him.
As the “Cornell 7” case continues to draw intense attention across the United States, Lee has become the subject of a parallel search focused on his Korean identity and background. Publicly available information about him remains limited compared with the volume of material circulating about some of the other defendants.
Some English-language users have begun openly looking to Korean netizens to take the search further.
“OK Korean people, we're counting on you to track one of your own people down,” one user wrote in a social media thread.
“Leaving it up to the knetz,” another wrote, using shorthand for Korean netizens. Other comments described Korean internet users as “ruthless hunters” and said they “know how to punish their own.”
The search has also spread to Korean and Korean American online communities, where users are attempting to identify Lee's Korean name and piece together information about his education, military service and background.
On Reddit, one user celebrated after another posted what was purported to be Lee's Korean name, writing, “Hey, you got his Korean name!” The name has not been independently verified.
Online users have linked Lee to Seoul Foreign School and UWC Atlantic in Wales, while a LinkedIn profile attributed to him has listed service in the Republic of Korea Army. Cornell’s directory currently lists Lee as a student, while social media users have claimed he has returned to campus and is attending classes.
The search comes amid a broader crowdsourced effort to uncover information about all seven defendants, whose names, photographs, workplaces and personal histories have spread widely across social media. A dedicated website has also emerged publicizing information about the group.
Lee's ties to South Korea, however, have given the online hunt an unusual international dimension, with users reaching across languages and borders for information that has proved difficult to uncover in the United States.
The expanding search has also led to the rapid circulation of unverified claims about Lee's family and identity.
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