ID :
22487
Fri, 10/03/2008 - 14:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/22487
The shortlink copeid
Actress suicide prompts ruling party to punish online rumor mongers
SEOUL, Oct. 3 (Yonhap) -- The ruling Grand National Party, bracing for public shock following the suicide of top actress Choi Jin-sil, said Friday that it will push for legislation against online rumor mongers in the ongoing assembly session.
"There will be continuing nuisances from malicious messages on the Internet
should we not set a punishment," said Hong Joon-pyo, floor leader for the
conservative party, which controls 172 seats in the 299-member assembly.
Under the envisioned Cyber Defamation Law that the ruling party is seeking to
pass by December, those who post malicious rumors on the Web will be punished
while users will be required to identify themselves by their real names before
posting comments, Hong said.
Liberals have opposed Internet crackdowns by the state for fear they would be
used to suppress individuals' freedom of expression. But calls for regulations
maintaining online discipline quickly gained momentum in the wake of Choi's
chilling death, widely blamed on such malignant Internet rumors.
Choi, 40, who was a fixture of Korean prime-time television dramas for two
decades, was found hanging from an elastic band in a bathroom in her house in
southern Seoul on Thursday morning.
Police said the actress had suffered deeply from rumors circulating that linked
her to the recent suicide of another actor, Ahn Jae-hwan. The rumors accused Choi
of loaning Ahn a substantial sum of money as his business faltered.
Ahn was under pressure from loan sharks before his death, according to
investigators.
Choi sought a police probe into the source of the rumors, calling them
groundless. And while a securities company employee was arrested earlier this
week in the case, the probe ultimately failed to prevent Choi, who had been on
medication for depression since an ugly divorce in 2004, from taking her own
life.
Police have since concluded that the rumors were groundless.
"There is no evidence for the rumor that Ms. Choi was involved in the loan
business," Yang Jae-ho, a criminal investigations officer at the Seocho Police
Station examining Choi's death, told reporters.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
"There will be continuing nuisances from malicious messages on the Internet
should we not set a punishment," said Hong Joon-pyo, floor leader for the
conservative party, which controls 172 seats in the 299-member assembly.
Under the envisioned Cyber Defamation Law that the ruling party is seeking to
pass by December, those who post malicious rumors on the Web will be punished
while users will be required to identify themselves by their real names before
posting comments, Hong said.
Liberals have opposed Internet crackdowns by the state for fear they would be
used to suppress individuals' freedom of expression. But calls for regulations
maintaining online discipline quickly gained momentum in the wake of Choi's
chilling death, widely blamed on such malignant Internet rumors.
Choi, 40, who was a fixture of Korean prime-time television dramas for two
decades, was found hanging from an elastic band in a bathroom in her house in
southern Seoul on Thursday morning.
Police said the actress had suffered deeply from rumors circulating that linked
her to the recent suicide of another actor, Ahn Jae-hwan. The rumors accused Choi
of loaning Ahn a substantial sum of money as his business faltered.
Ahn was under pressure from loan sharks before his death, according to
investigators.
Choi sought a police probe into the source of the rumors, calling them
groundless. And while a securities company employee was arrested earlier this
week in the case, the probe ultimately failed to prevent Choi, who had been on
medication for depression since an ugly divorce in 2004, from taking her own
life.
Police have since concluded that the rumors were groundless.
"There is no evidence for the rumor that Ms. Choi was involved in the loan
business," Yang Jae-ho, a criminal investigations officer at the Seocho Police
Station examining Choi's death, told reporters.
hkim@yna.co.kr
(END)
