Gov`t moves to shut down suicide sites

Amid a controversy over so-called suicide Internet sites, the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) said Wednesday that it would strengthen the screening standards for Web sites and take stern action, including imposing shutdown orders, against sites that encourage or glorify suicide.

The MIC-led Information and Communication Ethics Committee examined the sites involved in two recent suicide cases, in which two people killed themselves and another person allegedly ommitted murder at the victim¡¯s request. They had met on the Internet. The committee defined suicide sites as unethical, saying they encouraged crime and damaged the nation's morale.

It ordered the operators of the sites to voluntarily shut themselves down and plans to ask the MIC minister to shut down any sites that refuse the order.

According to the committee, they found about 10 Korean Web sites by conducting an Internet search using the key word suicide, as well as about 60 associations operated by Internet portal sites. Some of them voluntarily closed or suspended services after the controversy erupted.