Private Newsletters Drive Celebs Up Wall

‘Jjirasi’ ― Rumor-Filled Flier ― Piques Voyeurism for Business

By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter

Popular actor Kwon Sang-woo recently declared war on unidentified information collectors for a series of what he calls groundless and malicious rumors about him and his family, which were picked up by major Korean-language Web sites and other small news sites.

Kwon's management agency said in a statement that they had been collecting information to take legal action against those who compile and distribute the rumors.

It was not the first time for the 34-year-old model-turned-actor to pledge stern action against compilers of groundless tidbits who supply them to paying customers. "Jjirasi," or a private information newsletters, are available in booklets and available online. Usually, jjirasi are sent on a regular basis to paying subscribers, with the content ranging from politics and celebrities to chaebol affairs.

Last year, Kwon came close to lodging a legal complaint against a teenage girl for infringing upon his privacy by posting part of the newsletter regarding his private life on a Web site. His agency emphasized that he won't show any leniency this time.

Jjirasi has been used as jargon in the financial and journalism industries here to describe memos containing secret information created by unidentified private information collectors and distributed to news-conscious securities and media companies mainly via the Internet.

It has frequently been described as a hotbed of rumors and incorrect news in the fields of politics, business, finance and entertainment. Former President Roh Moo-hyun tried to root out the fliers' producers during his presidency to minimize related side effects. Police and the state prosecution take action if deemed necessary, posing a threat to the bottom line of the suppliers.

With some of the gossip turning out to be true, however, the private information service is growing with secret financial support from news traders.

Kwon is not the only victim. Nothing is spared from its wide-ranging scope. North Korea is no exception.

On Dec. 1, last year, Korea's stock market was caught off guard after stock dealers and reporters got hold of a brief in the fliers, based on unidentified sources.

The content was about the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. The stock index nosedived and it remained chaotic until the Ministry of Unification confirmed the report was groundless.

Entertainers, influential politicians and businessmen are frequent targets. Among them are figure skating world champion Kim Yu-na, swimmer Park Tae-hwan, the late Hyundai Group founder Chung Ju-yung, actress Lee Young-ae and actor So Ji-sub.

Embroiled in a love scandal allegedly brought up by jjirash, So complained: "I really wonder where the information came from. It has dealt a blow to my reputation, but nobody has taken responsibility for it."

Little is known about the origins of jjirash. The memo was initially delivered once or twice a week to stock dealers' offices by fax. To dodge a state crackdown during the Roh Moo-hyun administration, its contents were digitalized and since have been delivered to clients via Internet messenger, providing quicker and wider circulation.

Its negative impact galvanized political circles, after actress Choi Jin-sil committed suicide in October 2008 following jjirasi-based rumors that she was a loan shark. Widely circulated through major Korean-language Web sites, the rumor, later found to be groundless, was part of what led her to kill herself.

The call for setting appropriate countermeasures has recently gained momentum in public and private sectors. Many activists and major Web sites operators have launched a campaign to discontinue the use of jjirasi.

"High-speed Internet has played a pivotal role in widely circulating jjirsi-based rumors that could deal a violent blow to celebrities, companies and politicians. But it's rare to see its producers and distributors being punished," said Prof. Kang Kyung-geun of Soongsil University in Seoul. "It's urgent to set immediate and effective countermeasures."

pss@koreatimes.co.kr

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