ID :
23843
Sat, 10/11/2008 - 09:41
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/23843
The shortlink copeid
Celebrity suicides spark controversy over libel suits
By Kim Boram
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- Following a wave of celebrity suicides linked to malicious on-line rumors, some in South Korea are calling for libel sentences to carry harsher punishment.
Earlier this month, iconic actress Choi Jin-sil committed suicide after rumors
circulated that she was involved in the death of a fellow actor, who some said
had borrowed a large amount of money from Choi.
The controversy follows a recent trend in South Korean litigation. Last year,
1,852 people were sued for libel or slander and went to court, an increase of 17
percent from 1,583 in 2006, according to a report released Friday by the Supreme
Court and Ministry of Justice to opposition lawmaker Woo Yoon-keun.
The report said 1,062 people stood trial for the charges during the first half of
this year.
Less than one percent of those accused -- totaling 4,497 over the past
two-and-a-half years -- have been sentenced to prison terms, while 22.9 percent
were taken into custody, according to the report.
Among the accused, 53 percent, or 2,386, were ordered to pay fines, while 6.3
percent, or 287, were found innocent, the report said.
The Democratic Party lawmaker said introducing new legislation or revising
current laws to impose heavier sentences is of little use if prosecutors do not
indict criminals or if the court is too lenient.
"The government should ensure stricter implementation of the criminal law, along
with pushing education of Internet propriety and making efforts to weed out bad
rumors," said Woo.
By comparison, among 248,351 suspects of other crimes such as theft or violence,
31.9 percent were fined and 1.6 percent were declared innocent, the lawmaker
noted.
The statistics of the report did not take into account the details of the
individual libel or slander cases.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
SEOUL, Oct. 10 (Yonhap) -- Following a wave of celebrity suicides linked to malicious on-line rumors, some in South Korea are calling for libel sentences to carry harsher punishment.
Earlier this month, iconic actress Choi Jin-sil committed suicide after rumors
circulated that she was involved in the death of a fellow actor, who some said
had borrowed a large amount of money from Choi.
The controversy follows a recent trend in South Korean litigation. Last year,
1,852 people were sued for libel or slander and went to court, an increase of 17
percent from 1,583 in 2006, according to a report released Friday by the Supreme
Court and Ministry of Justice to opposition lawmaker Woo Yoon-keun.
The report said 1,062 people stood trial for the charges during the first half of
this year.
Less than one percent of those accused -- totaling 4,497 over the past
two-and-a-half years -- have been sentenced to prison terms, while 22.9 percent
were taken into custody, according to the report.
Among the accused, 53 percent, or 2,386, were ordered to pay fines, while 6.3
percent, or 287, were found innocent, the report said.
The Democratic Party lawmaker said introducing new legislation or revising
current laws to impose heavier sentences is of little use if prosecutors do not
indict criminals or if the court is too lenient.
"The government should ensure stricter implementation of the criminal law, along
with pushing education of Internet propriety and making efforts to weed out bad
rumors," said Woo.
By comparison, among 248,351 suspects of other crimes such as theft or violence,
31.9 percent were fined and 1.6 percent were declared innocent, the lawmaker
noted.
The statistics of the report did not take into account the details of the
individual libel or slander cases.
brk@yna.co.kr
(END)
